Riyad al-Turk and the Democratic People's Party

[Ilyich]

In light of the recent threads about the conflict in Syria, I have made this thread about Riyad al-Turk and the Democratic People's Party. Here is what I know.

According to Wikipedia, "the old man of the Syrian opposition" was born in Homs in 1930. As a student, he joined the Communist Party. He quickly became a prominent activist and was imprisoned multiple times and exiled. In 1972, Turk and his followers led the Communist Party (Political Bureau) to secede from the Communist Party of Secretary-General Khalid Bakdash because of Backdash's decision to ally the Communist Party with the Ba'athist National Progressive Front (this is confusing to me because Wikipedia also says that Turk's faction had a more positive view of Arab nationalism than Bakdash yet Turk opposed entry into the NPF, a nationalist group). Turk remained the leader of the Communist Party (Political Bureau) until 2005.

The Democratic People's Party is an illegal Syrian party based in Paris and Damascus. It was the CP(PB) until 2005 when it changed its name. It is part of the oppositionist Syrian National Council.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riyad_al-Turk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Democratic_People%27s_Party

http://www.arraee.com/portal/

Does anyone have more information or opinions?

[erupt]

In 1972, Turk and his followers led the Communist Party (Political Bureau) to secede from the Communist Party of Secretary-General Khalid Bakdash because of Backdash's decision to ally the Communist Party with the Ba'athist National Progressive Front (this is confusing to me because Wikipedia also says that Turk's faction had a more positive view of Arab nationalism than Bakdash yet Turk opposed entry into the NPF, a nationalist group)

Does anyone have more information or opinions?
Seems like no matter what, even with socialism and communism, many Arab parties remain, albeit less than others, nationalistic.