Image Source:
Syrianhistory.com Archive
Seated in the front row are President Hafez al-Assad, his appointed predecessor Ahmad al-Khatib (serving as speaker of Parliament) and Prime Minister Mohammad Ali al-Halabi. Seated behind Assad is Commander of the Syrian Air Force Mohammad al-Khuly, and behind Khatib is Damascus governor and Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts Abdul Raouf al-Kassem, who became prime minister in 1980.