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   and cultural condition, and the prevailing perceptions   
   in our society which constitute the foundations on which   
   any development is based. Here, talking about the   
   accomplishment of any reform or development becomes   
   dependent to a great extent on changing or maintaining   
   these foundations. Changing these foundations also depends   
   on the extent of our desire and capability to separate the   
   useful from the not so useful elements and to strengthen   
   the positive components which can push the development   
   process forward and at the same time preserve the stability   
   and internal security of our society. All of this, as it is   
   well known, comes within the framework of a difficult and   
   complicated process which requires a long time, a great   
   effort, and first and foremost the appropriate tools.   
      
   All these considerations were clear in our minds   
   while embarking on our reform project taking into   
   account a number of priorities which we have ranked   
   according to their vitality, urgency for our   
   people, on the one hand, and their importance in   
   enhancing our capabilities on the other.  They were   
   also ranked according to the possibility to achieve   
   progress in them as quickly as possible while   
   obstacles impeding progress in other areas are   
   being overcome.   
      
   The first clear priority, which emerged from our   
   continued communication with our people, was   
   related to living conditions.  That is why we   
   awarded this aspect our greatest attention, and   
   made decisions to increase wages and salaries   
   whenever it was possible to do that.  And we shall   
   continue to do so according to a carefully studied   
   approach.  Our strategic decision was to build the   
   solid foundations of our national economy in a   
   manner that makes an impact on its different   
   aspects in order to be able to improve the   
   citizens' living standards in a serious and   
   sustainable manner while preserving and enhancing   
   the gains made by wide sectors of our society.   
   That is why we have taken a number of crucial   
   decisions and measures which constitute a real   
   turning point in our economic development.   
      
   The starting point for all of this was providing   
   the appropriate political, intellectual and   
   legislative environment; hence political decisions   
   were made and prepared the appropriate setting for   
   the required economic changes and opened a wide   
   space for a new dynamism for the national economy.   
      
   We have adopted the concept of the social-market   
   economy, which will open new and wide vistas for   
   individual initiative and will make market   
   mechanisms the defining factor within a framework   
   of the state's leadership of the development   
   process, its management of economic activity and   
   its preparation of a motivating organizational   
   environment, while maintaining its role as guardian   
   of the rights of the poorer sections of society.   
   This implies the achievement of social justice,   
   combating poverty and unemployment and enhancing   
   social security networks.   
      
   At the forefront of the tasks which faced us was   
   the necessity of bridging the gap between the   
   requirements of the reform process and existing   
   legislation, or the lack of legislation, which used   
   to constitute a great hurdle for the development of   
   the economy.   
      
   We have passed hundreds of laws and decisions which   
   constituted a wide leap forward, provided the legal   
   base of the desired reform and enabled reform to   
   reach different areas of economic activity and   
   change the whole economic, financial and monetary   
   landscape.  The Basic Monetary Law was passed, the   
   Credit and Monetary Board was created with a   
   mandate to manage monetary policy, public banks   
   were restructured and the role of the Central Bank   
   was enhanced, public finance was developed, tax   
   management was improved, customs duties were   
   modified, the exchange rate and import finance were   
   simplified.   
      
   There were laws and decisions which provided for   
   the creation on the ground of banks, insurance   
   companies and the stock exchange.  Most economic   
   sectors were opened before private enterprises and   
   reform measures gave an important impetus to   
   investment in different areas.  Many decisions were   
   made to develop the public sector and address its   
   production, management and financial issues with   
   the objective of ridding it of the impediments   
   which limit its capacity to compete.  There are new   
   steps which will be taken in the near future in   
   order to rectify the conditions of industrial   
   public sector.  The coming into force of the Basic   
   Financial Law at the beginning of 2008 will be an   
   important turning point for the public sector in   
   general.   
      
   We have set up a number of industrial cities and   
   free zones which have succeeded in hosting   
   promising investments.  We have achieved tangible   
   progress in the fields of infrastructure, mother   
   and child care, popular and youth housing.  We have   
   started to build large projects in energy   
   generation, transport, irrigation, and land   
   reclamation.  One of our priorities will be to   
   provide the agricultural sector with the   
   requirements of growth and to fend off negative   
   impacts from this sector because of its vitality to   
   the Syrian economy and its importance to our food   
   sufficiency and national security.   
      
   I point out here a number of figures and indicators   
   which reflect what we have achieved during the past   
   period.  Economic growth rose to 5.1% in 2006; and   
   if we take out the oil sector, the figure will rise   
   to between 6.5% and 7%.  This is a highly positive   
   figure, and we aspire for better figures in the   
   next stage.   
      
   The general state budget was increased to SP 588   
   billion at a rate of 113% between 2000 and 2007.   
      
   Salaries and wages in the public sector rose at   
   more than 125% from the year 2000, although the   
   state provides more than SP 750 million everyday in   
   fuel subsidies, which costs 15% of GDP at SP 1,243   
   pounds.  The per capita share of GDP would have   
   been higher but for population growth.   
      
   In the field of health, 45 new public hospitals   
   have been put in operation, with an increase rate   
   of 80%.  350 new health centres and 30 private   
   hospitals were also opened.  Life expectancy rose   
   to 72 years.   
      
   Large foreign debts were settled and the debt share   
   of GDP dropped from 106% in 2000 to less than 8%,   
   and Syria has become one of the world’s least   
   indebted nations (Syria’s debts were SP 1,000   
   billion and dropped to SP 150 billion).   
      
   Investments rose by twelve fold from the year 2001,   
   and Syrian exports rose to more than SP 505 billion   
   which is double what it was in 2000.   
      
   In the field of administrative reform, efforts have   
   been made to initiate structural developments in   
   the government and government work, and also in the   
   procedures related to citizens’ transactions and   
   the reduction of red tape.  Work, evaluation and   
   assessment mechanisms have been activated and   
   objective recruitment standards have been adopted.   
      
   We have made great strides in developing our   
   educational system by approving an integrated plan   
   which aims at developing the different dimensions   
   of the educational process, addressing weaknesses,   
   improving outputs, introducing quality changes to   
   the curricula and providing the educational sector   
   with the necessary material and human resources.   
   In this framework, free obligatory education was   
   extended to nine years.  Information technology and   
   its instruments have been made widely accessible to   
   all.   
      
   (More than 2,500 new schools, over 33,000 school   
   classes have been put in operation, and over 70,000   
   teaching staff have been recruited).   
      
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)