Bei Assads geht es ans Eingemachte

Das Gemunkel war schon da, daß dem Assad-Regime das Geld langsam ausgeht, seine Bevölkerung am Laufenden Band totzuschießen und wegzusperren ist schließlich teuer. Und vielbeschäftigte Folterer pochen sicherlich auf ihre Sonderzulagen. Jetzt wird es offensichtlich ernst mit der Geldknappheit, die wohl wichtigste Syrienmeldung der letzten Wochen:

Syria Comment:

In a rather dramatic step towards preserving the country’s foreign exchange reserves, Syria’s finance minister announced that new car imports into the country are suspended till further notice. All products that are subject to customs duties of 5 percent and over will be included in the suspension notice. Such products include luxuries including passenger cars. Mr. Al Chaar made the announcement to reporters following the weekly cabinet meeting. The decision was made to “conserve the country’s foreign reserves and to reallocate it to the lower income groups”. The decision was thought to be “preventive and temporary”. As imports of such products are halted, local producers are thought to pick up the slack by increasing domestic production and employment. Raw materials, food and other basic materials will be exempt from the ban. Products that are not locally produced will also be exempt.

Here is the official summary from SANA

For the record, Syria imports approximately 70,000 new cars a year. The country’s car industry is likely to see used car prices soar. This decision will force all new car dealers to close down till the ban is lifted. This is the most dramatic economic development to date since the Syrian events unfolded almost 7 months ago.