Assad’s wife ‘completely’ cured of breast cancer

BEIRUT: The wife of Syria’s president said she is “completely” free of breast cancer a year ater her diagnosis, in an interview with state TV.

The half-hour interview, aired late Saturday, was Asma Assad’s first since she was diagnosed - a rare declaration in the Arab world, where prominent figures oten conceal their ailments. It was also designed to portray a modern atitude in a region where cancer remains a taboo, and many view it as an affliction.

Assad sat for the interview in a lush green garden, wearing a white dress with embroidered flowers. She described cancer as a “test” for her and her family and said she wanted to be a role model for Syrians in dealing with adversities.

Assad, born in the United Kingdom in 1975, sported a short blond bob and flashed wide smiles, speaking softly but assuredly.

It is a confidence and poise that the government of her husband, President Bashar Assad, has also maintained throughout the war, but which belies the chaos and devastation that have hit Syria on a massive scale since 2011.

The Assads have continued to present themselves as modern, forward-looking leaders even as Syria has been convulsed by civil war, ignited by a rebellion against the family’s decades-long rule.

In parts of the interview, Bashar Assad is filmed holding his wife from behind as they stroll down a military hospital’s corridors - rare images of intimacy between the first couple. Other clips showed her carrying out public activities over the last year while wearing stylish head scarves.

In the early days of the war, Asma Assad was heavily criticized for perceived excesses, with some accusing her of using her British education and Western style to try and mask the brutality of her husband’s crackdown.

She was sanctioned by the European Union in 2012, banning her from traveling to member states and freezing any assets she may have there. In 2013, leaked emails revealed Asma Assad had been shopping for luxury items and designer goods online as violence swept the country, including the purchase of Bohemian crystal chandeliers, expensive jewelry and Christian Louboutin stiletto shoes.