War (of Words) with Syria
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Saturday, Apr 19, 2003
[Statements of confidence from Hezbollah. Following the section quoted below, the article cites Arab analysts speaking on the Syrian/Lebanese/Israeli/American situation.]
Syria Won’t Fail Anti-Israel Resistance: Hizbullah
IslamOnline -- April 19
By Hani Mohammed
CAIRO - Syria will not bargain with the United States over Hizbollah in view of the latest bellicose threats against Syria after Saddam Hussein’s regime had passed into history, Hizbullah’s Spokesman Hassan Ezzudin told IslamOnline.net late Friday, April 18.
“Anti-U.S. occupation powers are, in fact, rallying behind Syria and in harmony with its stances and Syria will never fail such powers,” Ezzudin said.
That is why “Hizbullah has no worries that Syria might be armtwisted by the US pressures and fail anti-Israeli resistance movement like Hizbollah,” he said, noting that such movements were serving as the stronghold against occupation.
The Hizbullah media official, meanwhile, ruled out that some countries, which forged strategic and diplomatic relations with Hizbullah such as Iran and some Arab countries, would pressure Syria into toeing the American line.
Ezzudin said Israel may be behind the latest string of U.S. threats against Syria, pointing out that Israel was fishing in troubled waters to provoke the U.S. into taking military action against Syria or Lebanon.
[A story from last month, but it gives some background on the Hezbollah-Israel conflict.]
On 2nd Anniversary of Israeli Withdrawal, Lebanese Protest Israeli Continued Occupation
IslamOnline -- May 26
ABBASSIYEH (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – On the second anniversary of Israel's May 24, 2000, troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon, more than 200 villagers of Abbassiyeh, destroyed by Israel in 1967 and now under reconstruction, protested Sunday, May 26, for an end to Israel's continued occupation of two-thirds of their border village.
Men, women and children flocked in from other regions in Lebanon and neighboring Syria, to where many Abbassiyeh families fled after the invasion and destruction of the village in 1967, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.
The families marched to the Indian post of the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, carrying Lebanese flags and those of the Islamic resistance movement, Hizbullah.
"Abbassiyeh and the Shebaa Farms will only return to the homeland through resistance," said banners carried by the protestors who were marking the second anniversary of Israel's troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation.
The protest march was organized by Hizbullah whose resistance forces were instrumental in leading to the 2000 Israeli withdrawal, AFP reported.
[More on the Lebanese cabinet shake up. Is Assad strengthening his hand in Lebanon in preparation for standing tough, or in preparation for selling out Hizbullah?]
Lebanon's New Cabinet Will Foster Close Syria Ties
Reuters -- April 19
BEIRUT - Lebanon's new cabinet said on Saturday it would foster close ties with its political master Syria, which has been accused by the U.S. of harboring Iraqi officials after the fall of Saddam Hussein's government.
Speaking after the cabinet's first meeting, Lebanese Information Minister Michel Samaha said both President Emile Lahoud and Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri had urged close links with Syria, which keeps some 15,000 troops in Lebanon.
[Surprised?]
Pentagon Expects Long-Term Access to Four Key Bases in Iraq
New York Times -- April 19
By THOM SHANKER and ERIC SCHMITT
WASHINGTON — The United States is planning a long-term military relationship with the emerging government of Iraq, one that would grant the Pentagon access to military bases and project American influence into the heart of the unsettled region, senior Bush administration officials say.
Although the new bases in Iraq are primarily for mounting comprehensive postwar security operations, senior administration officials make no secret that the American presence at those bases near Syria and Iran and long-term access to them "will make them nervous."
Or as Secretary of State Colin L. Powell put it on Thursday: "We have been successful in Iraq. There is a new dynamic in that part of the world."
Even so, administration officials are quick to echo Mr. Powell's assertions that Washington has "no war plan right now" for Syria and Iran.
"So don't ask if our tanks are going to move right or left out of Iraq," said one senior administration official. "There are a lot of political weapons that can be unleashed to achieve our goals."
Among the pressures to be exerted against Syria will be a campaign to focus the world's attention on a new administration message. "Syria occupies Lebanon," one senior administration official said. "This is the repression of one Arab state by another. Plus there are terror training camps in the Bekaa Valley."
In addition to tamping down public anxiety over possible military action against Syria, or even Iran, officials are quick to argue that these two nations have the most significant vote as to whether the United States will ever apply the template of "regime change" in Iraq to them.
"This does not mean, necessarily, that other governments have to fall," one senior administration official said. "They can moderate their behavior."
UPI via Washington Times -- April 19
Analysis: On the road to Damascus
By Claude Salhani
DAMASCUS -- Accusations by several Bush administration officials that Syria possesses chemical weapons and may be harboring some of Iraq's leading Baathists -- now on the run -- have been received in Damascus with concern and trepidation.
The concern stems from what the United States might do next as it consolidates its position in Iraq and pursues its vision of the Middle East road map. Many officials here in Damascus fear this map is set on a course that could lead to disaster for them, as well as for the United States.
"We are afraid," admitted a senior government official to United Press International. "These are the same warnings the Americans made to Iraq six months ago. It started out with small accusations and ended up with an invasion of the country."
At the same time the Syrian official warned the Americans that they, too, should be worried. "They are awakening religious consciousness in the Arab world that is very dangerous and that will come back to haunt them."
The official, who asked not to be named, explained America's invasion of Iraq could unleash Islamic forces that could turn Iraq into an Islamic country. "This is not something America wants and not something Syria wants either," he added.
AP via Salon.com -- April 18
Syria divides Democratic candidates
Nedra Pickler
WASHINGTON -- Now that Saddam Hussein has been removed from power in Iraq, a new military issue is dividing Democrats running for president, how to deal with Syria.
Presidential candidate Bob Graham, a Florida senator who voted against the resolution authorizing force against Iraq, suggested military action against Syria might be necessary.
"We threw a few cruise missiles into the terrorist training camps in Afghanistan ... that's what we may have to do in Syria," he told the Orlando Sentinel after an appearance during the weekend in his home state.
[An overview of recent moves to ease tensions: visa restrictions, US congressional delegation, softer tone in Syrian government press.]
Ha'aretz -- April 19
Syria tightens visa restrictions on Iraqis
DAMASCUS - In an apparent effort to counter U.S. charges that it is giving safe haven to former members of Saddam Hussein's regime, Syria has banned any Iraqi not already holding a visa from entering the country, airline sources confirmed Saturday.
The conciliatory gesture was another sign that Syria is seeking to ease tensions with Washington over Iraq ahead of an expected visit soon by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Meanwhile, a delegation from the United States Congress arrived Saturday in Damascus to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad to discuss the U.S.-backed road map for Middle East peace and U.S. accusations against Syria.
[This opinion piece out of Beirut discusses the reshuffling of the Lebanese cabinet.]
The Daily Star -- April 19
Prepared for the worst
Michael Young
It was a pity former Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf was not in Beirut this week. He would have been ideal to sell the preposterous official line that the change of government in Lebanon had nothing to do with American pressures on Syria.
Several things can be said about the new government. First, neither President Emile Lahoud nor Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is happy with it. The two never got along, but the previous arrangement gave them enough followers so that they were satisfied. The latest team will mostly include men whose primary loyalty is owed to Syria, so that what we now have is a government of obdurate apparatchiks.
...
The government also provides the Syrians with several options. It has the ideological coloring necessary to allow them to stifle Hizbullah if that becomes imperative, but also to cover for a full or partial Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon if Damascus deems this necessary to protect its eastern flank. One should watch and see what Syrian President Bashar Assad does in the coming weeks, particularly if the Bush administration raises the heat on him by making demands on Hizbullah and on Damascus-based militant Palestinian groups.
...
There is another problem: By turning the government into a bastion of pro-Syrian diehards, Damascus has brought Lebanon into the front lines of its dispute with the United States. We should expect to get hit by Washington’s backhands, whether directed against Hizbullah or the economy. That’s a pity. Acting tough is useful only if you have the resources to endure. Syria and Lebanon do not.
At least we can take solace in the fact that by standing united we might fall much the same way.
Michael's blog, beirut calling
[Some detail on the proposed sanctions.]
NewsMax -- April 19
The Return of the Syria Accountability Act
In 2002, well before the war in Iraq focused attention on Syria’s terrorist connections, Saddam sympathies, and military aid to the enemy, elements in the U.S. Congress were ready to unload sanctions on the Arab country. Now that stalled effort is back on track with new momentum spawned by a White House that is calling the Hezbollah- harboring country a “rogue nation.”
Last year, Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Penn., introduced the Syria Accountability Act -- only to see it languish as the Bush administration reportedly worked behind the scenes to quash it as a distraction from Iraq and as inappropriate considering Syria’s ostensible cooperation with the U.S. in ferreting out al-Qaida.
But Rep. Eliot L. Engel, D-N.Y., reintroduced the Syria Accountability Act in the House a week ago, remarking, "I just think it is really time to get tough with Syria."
CNN - April 19
Iraq neighbors urge U.S. to leave
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- The U.S.-led coalition must bring stability and security to Iraq and then remove its "occupying" forces from the country as quickly as possible, foreign ministers from neighboring countries have said.
Represented at the meeting were six countries that border Iraq -- Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Kuwait and Jordan -- as well as Egypt and Bahrain.
The ministers meeting in Riyadh Friday also endorsed a proposal floated this week by Syria to make the Middle East a region free of weapons of mass destruction. They also criticized recent comments by Bush administration officials accusing Syria of giving refuge to members of the deposed Iraqi regime.
[An old story, but worth repeating.]
Ha'aretz -- February 18, 2003
Sharon says U.S. should also disarm Iran, Libya and Syria
By Aluf Benn
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said yesterday that Iran, Libya and Syria should be stripped of weapons of mass destruction after Iraq. "These are irresponsible states, which must be disarmed of weapons mass destruction, and a successful American move in Iraq as a model will make that easier to achieve," Sharon said to a visiting delegation of American congressmen.
Sharon told the congressmen that Israel was not involved in the war with Iraq "but the American action is of vital importance."
via antiwar.com
Ha'aretz -- April 19
Analysis / Assad begins to fold as the U.S. demands Damascus behave appropriately
By Zvi Bar'el
The verbal missiles cruising in recent days between Washington and Damascus obscured an even more interesting statement made this week. Iranian President Mohammed Khatami said in public that "Iran won't defend Syria if it comes under attack by the United States,"and that "if the U.S. changes its behavior toward Iran, it is possible to consider a change in Iran's policy toward the U.S."
Khatami's statements have a special significance in light of the tensions between the U.S. and Syria, even though they do not have an immediate practical implication.
Islam Online -- April 17
U.S. Presses Syria To Kill Anti-Israel Resistance: DFLP
By Abdul Raheem Ali
CAIRO - The current American and Zionist pressures on Syria are aimed at bringing to a cessation all forms of support rendered by Syria to Arab movements resisting the Israeli occupation, particularly Hezbollah, Secretary General of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) Nayeef Hawatma told IslamOnline.net Thursday, April 17.
[Non-information.]
White House -- April 16
Press Gaggle with Scott McClelland, spokesman
Q Any indication that Syria is cooperating?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Syria knows our views. And they know what they need to do. I think there are people closer to the situation there that would be in a better position to brief you on the exact specifics of it -- of the current situation.
[Non-information.]
White House -- April 17
Press Gaggle with Claire Buchan, Deputy Press Secretary, at Crawford Elementary School
Q Syria's proposal that there's a weapons-free zone within the Middle East, including Israel, as well? Is that something that the administration is even listening to or considering? And d you know where that is?
MS. BUCHAN: Well, Syria -- we have made clear what Syria needs to do. They know our views and I will leave it at that.
[Release from US about Powell's Thursday night interview on PBS, followed by transcript.]
US Department of State -- April 18
Powell Urges Syria to Reconsider Its Policies
Says Middle East would be better off without WMD
"As I have said previously, and the President has certainly indicated
in his own remarks, there is no war plan on anyone's desk right now to
go marching on Syria," Powell said.
Powell said the reason why Syria is being highlighted now is that
there is a "changed situation" and "a new dynamic" in the Middle East
following the liberation of Iraq.
---
MR. LEHRER: Well, as you know, this has been read in the Arab world,
and also in some places in Europe and elsewhere, the United States as
saying, "Hey, Syria, look next door at what happened to Iraq. If you
don't get your act together, the same thing could happen to you."
Is that a correct message? Is that the message the U.S. wanted to
send?
SECRETARY POWELL: It's not a message the United States has delivered.
The President hasn't spoken in those terms. Neither have I, and, for
that matter, neither has Don Rumsfeld or Condi Rice.
[We take a break from our usual content for a story from the far eastern front. North Korea drops its defiant stance in reaction to US success in Iraq. But ... doh!]
U.S. official: N. Korea move 'insulting'
Upcoming talks in doubt
CNN -- April 18
From Elise Labott
WASHINGTON -- A senior Bush administration official said Friday the United States is reconsidering whether to hold talks with North Korea after the East Asian nation said it is again reprocessing nuclear fuel rods.
[An overview of recent developments.]
Ha'aretz -- April 18
Powell may visit Mideast, will focus on peace process
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday that he may soon visit the Middle East, including Syria, to push for Israeli-Palestinian peace and to press Damascus on its suspected weapons programs and support for Saddam Hussein's dying regime.
CBS News -- April 17
Hezbollah Turns Up The Volume
They were once considered the baddest of the bad, at the top of the pecking order of Middle East terrorist organizations. Until Sept. 11, Hezbollah - the so-called "Party of God" - had killed more Americans than any other group, starting with 241 Marines in a suicide bombing of their Beirut barracks in 1983.
Lately, however, Hezbollah had been relatively quiet, letting groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad take the lead in suicide bombing attacks against Israel and leaving al Qaeda to press the attack against America.
But, as CBS News Correspondent Jim Stewart reports, Hezbollah has suddenly started talking loud again. Even before U.S. forces invaded Iraq, the group began calling for suicide attacks against American forces. And U.S. officials have left no doubt they now consider the Party of God as dangerous as al Qaeda ever was.
"I'll tell you that Hezbollah, as an organization with capability and worldwide presence, is its equal, if not a far more capable organization," CIA Director George Tenet told Congress on Feb. 12.
[Report on cabinet shake-up with analysis of internal and external factors.]
Middle East Online -- April 18
Lebanon unveils most pro-Syrian cabinet ever
By Najib Khazzaka
BEIRUT -
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri formed a new government Thursday, the most pro-Syrian yet since Damascus imposed its will on its smaller neighbor more than a decade ago, and amid US threats against Syria.
In keeping with tradition, the 30-member cabinet was evenly divided between Muslims and Christians, but it is entirely dominated by long-time allies of Syria or others, notably Christians, who have joined the pro-Syrian camp.
The Daily Star -- April 18
US warns Lebanon against harboring Saddam’s cronies
Khalil Fleihan
Washington has warned Lebanon against providing passage or shelter to fleeing members of Saddam Hussein’s regime, diplomatic sources said Thursday.
According to the sources, the request was conveyed by US Ambassador Vincent Battle to Prime Minister Rafik Hariri hours before the latter handed in his resignation on Tuesday. The embassy later conveyed the request to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry as well.
Washington Times -- April 18
World Scene
Lebanon - Prime minister forms new government
BEIRUT — Lebanon said yesterday that Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, whose sudden resignation brought down the government, had formed a new Cabinet that retained economic policy-makers but left out key Christian opposition figures.
The lineup did not include members of the Christian opposition to Syria's grip on Lebanon, who analysts had expected might gain a seat in the 30-member Cabinet, which must still be approved by Parliament.
Mr. al-Hariri resigned Tuesday in a move that paved the way for a new government, but lawmakers later voted to retain him and asked him to form a Cabinet.
Arab Media Internet Network (AMIN) -- April 15
Is Syria next after Iraq?
By: Elias Zananiri
Intelligence reports reaching Washington suggested that even after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, Syria had been coordinating extensively with Hizbollah in Lebanon how to harm the American forces in Iraq. The idea, according to those reports, was to make Iraq for the Americans what Lebanon was for the Israelis before they pulled out of Lebanon in May 2000.
Reuters -- April 18
Mideast States Mull Post-War Iraq as US Warns Syria
By Andrew Hammond
RIYADH - Middle East nations began debating post-Saddam Hussein Iraq on Friday as the United States forged ahead with its own plans for a nation crushed by war.
Among eight countries at the first postwar regional forum was Syria, accused by Washington of sheltering Saddam aides and developing chemical weapons. Syria denies both charges.
The Riyadh meeting was hosted by Saudi Arabia to discuss the implications for the region of the crushing U.S. victory. Foreign ministers of Iraq's neighbors Turkey, Iran, Syria, Kuwait and Jordan as well as Egypt and Bahrain attended.
An opening statement read at the talks criticized what it said were U.S. threats against Syria and called for the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq to be as brief as possible.
"We absolutely refuse the recent threat against Syria which can only increase the likelihood of a new circle of war and hatred, especially in light of the continuing deterioration of the Palestinian situation," said the statement read out by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.
"We call on the United States to use dialogue with Syria and to activate the (Middle East) peace process," it said, welcoming a possible visit to Syria by Secretary of State Colin Powell.
AP via Hindustan Times -- April 18
Syria may expel some Iraqis: US officials
Washington -
Syria may be preparing to quietly expel some members of the Iraqi government who have sought refuge inside its borders, US officials have said.
[Political discussion from Australia.]
Australian Broadcast Corporation, The 7:30 Report -- April 17
US ramps up Syria rhetoric
JEREMY THOMPSON: So what's happening?
Is the United States softening up the world for another invasion in the Middle East?
ALAN BEHM, FORMER DEFENCE OFFICIAL: I think what they're doing is warning Syria of the consequences of its possession of weapons of mass destruction and perhaps just testing the waters a bit to see how the international community might respond.
DR GLEN BARCLAY, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, ANU: We have to assume now that when the Americans start threatening anybody they're at least very seriously considering attacking them.
Secondly, the only reason for attacking Syria that makes sense would be to remove the only possible external threat to Israel.
[Opinion.]
Los Angelese TImes -- April 15
via Monkey Media Report
Next, Turn the Screws on Syria
By Yossi Klein Halevi
Syria arms and protects the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah. Until Sept. 11, Hezbollah held the world record in the number of Americans killed through terrorism. In two suicide bombings in the 1980s, Hezbollah murdered 260 American soldiers stationed in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. No terror organization maintains greater global reach than Hezbollah, whose cells and fund-raising network extend to six continents. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage recently noted that Hezbollah "may be the [terrorists'] A-team, while Al Qaeda may be actually the B-team."