Safwan al-Qudsi
Safwan al-Qudsi (, born 1940) is the Secretary General of the Syrian Arab Socialist Union Party, a member of the central leadership of the National Progressive Front which controls the Syrian legislature, and chairman of the Arab Parties Congress. Safwan al-Qudsi received his bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Damascus. From 1972 to 1974 he was an assistant editor of the magazine "Knowledge" ("المعرفة"), a chief editor from 1974 to 1978. From 1980 through 1981 he was editor-in-chief of "Moral" ("الأدبي") a literary magazine. Safwan al-Qudsi was elected to the  legislature in 1977, and was a Minister of State from 1978 to 1980. Since 1981 he has been a member of the central leadership of the National Progressive Front. He has been the Secretary General of the ASU since 1984. He is member of the Syrian Society for Research and Studies (جمعية البحوث والدراسات). In March 2000 Safwan al-Qudsi's wife, Bari'a al-Qudsi, was appointed as Minister of Labor and Welfare, representing the ASU party in the cabinet. She lost the position in the December 2001 governmental reshuffle.