Syria: Crackdown undoing work of country's first lady

AMONG the casualties of Syria's growing repression may be the carefully cultivated reformist image of the country's glamorous British-born First Lady, Asma al-Assad.

Asma, a former international banker, has presented herself as the liberal face of her husband Bashar al-Asad's presidency since marrying him in 2000, counting Angela Jolie and Brad Pitt among her friends.

She has graced the pages of Vogue and Paris Match and has formed an alliance with the Louvre in her quest to save Syria's ancient treasures.

But this reputation faces the shredder as her husband's security forces mow down unarmed protestors across the country.

Asma was born in Acton, London, the daughter of Syrian parents. Her father worked as a Harley Street specialist and her mother was a noted diplomat.

After graduating from Kings College, London, with BSc in computer science and a diploma in French literature, she had begun to carve out a career working for both Deutsche Bank and J P Morgan in both London and New York when Bashar swept her off her feet a decade ago.

Al-Assad, who trained as an eye doctor in London, became first in line to succeed his later father, Hafez, when his older brother was killed in a car crash.

His succession duly followed in 2000 when official election figures gave him an eye-popping 97 per cent of the vote in a process opponents said was rigged.

Since coming to power, Presidentr Assad has continued to inist that he would end Syria's emergency rule and usher in full democracy.

In tandem, Asma placed herself at his side, holding a beacon for what she called "active citizenship".

This is in contrast to the wives of leaders such as Muammar Gaddafi, or Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, who have had virtually no profile outside their own countries, and even little within them.

Observers have noted her penchant for appearing in public without a veil and wearing above-the-knee skirts, a clear indication in the region of "Western" sentiment.

Her work promoting children's charities and the restoration of Syria's rich artistic treasures saw outsiders drawn to her. Paris Match sighed that she was "the element of light in a country full of shadow zones," and earlier this year the Louvre confirmed it was working with her to set up a network of museums in Syria.

In February, Vogue gave her a lavish profile, enthusing: "Asma al-Assad is glamorous, young, and very chic - the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies. "

She told Vogue that her thirst for reform was "about everyone taking shared responsibility in moving the country forward, about empowerment in a civil society."