Syria crisis: Ex-minister on the economy, rebuilding, and Assad
Former Syrian government minister Abdullah Dardari has been appointed as the man in charge of the UN's Syria post-war reconstruction project.
Mr Dardari served with President Assad as recently as 2011, and said that although he was still in touch with personal friends within the government, he was not in touch with Mr al-Assad himself.
He says Syria has lost approximately 3000 factories in the conflict, and estimated that GDP is down 40%.
Mr Dardari spoke to BBC Newshour's James Menendez about his hopes for Syria's future, in his first broadcast interview since taking up the post.
17 May 2013
- From the section Middle East