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Syrianhistory.com Archive
Abu Saleem Daaboul, whose real name is Mohammad Deeb Daaboul, joined the Syrian Premiership in the early 1950s, under Prime Minister Khaled al-Azm. He rose in rank, working with President Nureddine al-Atasi in the late 1960s, and from 1970 to 2000, with President Hafez al-Assad. During the last ten years of Assad's life, Abu Saleem became one of the most powerful man in Syria, running the country through the telephone, with direct and unlimited access to the President. He held the same post under Assad's son Bashar and continues to serve in this capacity in 2013.