Sami al-Jundi

Sami al-Jundi was a Syrian politician who played a key role in the formation and development of the Ba'ath Party. He was a follower of Michel Aflaq, the founder of the party, and a member of the Regional Command of the Syrian Regional Branch. He held various positions in the Syrian government, such as minister of information, culture, and national guidance, prime minister, and ambassador to France. He was also involved in the Arab nationalist movement led by Gamal Abdel Nasser, and supported the union between Egypt and Syria as the United Arab Republic. He was jailed in Syria for some time in 1969, after a power struggle within the Ba'ath Party. He later retired to Beirut, where he wrote his memoirs and other political works. He returned to Syria after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, but remained inactive politically. He died in Damascus in 1995, one day before his 74th birthday. He is regarded as one of the most influential and honest figures of the Ba'athist ideology and the Syrian politics.