In 1964 he was elected as General Secretary of the Syrian Regional Command of the Ba'ath Party and in 1965 he became Vice President of Syria under Amin al-Hafiz.
Pada 1964, ia terpilih menjadi Sekretaris Jenderal Komando Regional Suriah Partai Ba'ath dan pada 1965 ia menjadi Wakil Presiden Suriah di bawah kepemimpinan Amin al-Hafiz.