War (of Words) with Syria
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Thursday, May 08, 2003
Sources: Palestinian factions close Damascus offices
Al Bawaba -- May 8
Informed Palestinian sources have confirmed to Al Bawaba that four Palestinian factions have decided to close their Damascus offices in response to escalating tensions between Syria and the United States.
A Palestinian official in Damascus said that the four factions, namely Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, have ‘decided willingly’ to freeze activities in the country and hence close their offices in the Syrian capital.
The anonymous source said, “The factions received no orders from the Syrian authorities concerning the office closure. They took the decision on their own so that they wouldn’t cause Damascus any further embarrassment, particularly in view of the pressure imposed on Syria by the US which claims these organizations are ‘terrorist’ organizations.”
Nasrallah: Syria, Lebanon not pressuring Hezbollah to disarm
Middle East Online -- May 8
BEIRUT - Neither Syria nor Lebanon is exerting any pressure on the Lebanese Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah to disarm in response to US demands, its leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said in remarks published Thursday.
"There is no official Lebanese or Syrian pressure seeking to make us accept measures related to US demands," Nasrallah told the pro-Syrian daily As-Safir.
Syria Hands Over Suspect in Lebanon Bomb Spree
Reuters -- May 8
BEIRUT - Syria has handed over to neighboring Lebanon a man suspected of belonging to a gang blamed for a string of bomb attacks against Western fast food outlets, a senior judicial official said on Thursday.
Syria helped U.S. catch 'Mrs. Anthrax'
UPI -- May 8
By Richard Sale
Syrian intelligence, in a good-faith effort to boost cooperation with the United States in the war on terror, provided intelligence that resulted in U.S. forces taking custody of one of Iraq's top biological weapons scientists, administration officials said.
[Transcript of Wolfowitz interview.]
Wolfowitz Criticizes Turkey for Not Backing U.S. on Iraq
US Dept. of State -- May 7
CNN Turk: But if you make a prognosis of what went wrong earlier,
since you mentioned for example the military -- the traditional
institution which had strong connections to the United States -- did
not play a leadership role, so for the future to repair the
relationship and bring it back to its original level that means that
you have to need a leadership role to be played by those who haven't
played it. What kind of a role the military might have because after
all the military is not working in Turkey's parliament political
parties (inaudible)?
CNN Turk: And they have been criticized by getting involved in
politics.
Wolfowitz: I'm not suggesting you get involved in politics at all. I
mean, I think, all I'm saying is that when you had a issue of Turkey's
national interest and national strategy I think it's perfectly
appropriate, especially in your system, for the military to say it was
in Turkey's interest to support the United States in that effort.
CNN Turk: Didn't they say that?
Wolfowitz: I don't know. My impression is they didn't say it with the
kind of strength that would have made a difference. But look - let's
not dwell too much on the past.
Update:
The State Department link in the headline is broken. Check the comments page for the full transcript plus official links.
Dr. Paul's Words of Wisdom
NTV-MSNBC report on Turkish reaction
[Commentary from Turkey.]
The U.S. Has Already Made Up Its Mind On Turkey
Radikal via Turkish Press -- May 7
Columnist Ismet Berkan writes on the shifting sands of Turkish-US relations. A summary of his column is as follows:
[snip]
Reading between the lines, here is Wolfowitz’s plain meaning: Turkey must do whatever the US wants it to do. For those familiar with Wolfowitz’s past remarks and statements, you already know that he has never before directed such harsh remarks towards Turkey nor employed such a negative tone. Yesterday, he overtly stressed that Turkey cannot pursue independent policies on certain sensitive issues.
FBI Focus Increases On Hamas, Hezbollah
Ruling Enables Intensified Probes
Washington Post -- May 8
By John Mintz
Wielding new powers granted by a six-month-old federal court decision, the FBI has greatly intensified decade-old investigations of alleged U.S. supporters of the Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] and Hezbollah terrorist groups, according to government officials.
[Another tangent ... And by the way, thanks Israel! We appreciate the guidance. Perhaps Mofaz can emulate Wolfowitz's performance in Turkey, by coming on 60 Minutes to explain what Israel would like the US to do about Iran.]
U.S.: Iran violating nuclear treaty
Wants global denouncement
New York Times viaThe Charlotte Observer -- May 8
STEVEN R. WEISMAN
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is concerned that Iran has accelerated its covert nuclear program and is now seeking broad international support for an official finding that Tehran has violated its commitment not to produce nuclear weapons, administration officials said Wednesday.
"It's not just that Iran is speeding up its nuclear plans," said an administration official. "It's also that we've only recently learned some things about their program that have been going on for two years. There's also a lot of hammering from the Israelis for us to take this problem seriously."
Commentary
My experiences with the disappearing story about "Rice blocked plan for raids on Syria", I've been acutely aware of the tactic of "the reaction becomes the story." The lead of the Rice story was no longer about a radical hawk v. moderate hawk showdown. The lead was the White House busting on the press.
With the story on Wolfowitz v. Turkey, I am concerned that twist on this technique will occur. Rather than the story being about Wolfowitz's radical and dangerous call for the Turkish military to show more leadership in the political arena, the story is about Turkey's defiance.
See NTV-MSNBC and AP stories below.
Weblog: Convert Killed in Attack on Missionary's Lebanon Home
Plus: Dobson and other conservatives reportedly thinking about leaving Republican Party, YWAM missionaries hospitalized with SARS, and other stories from online sources around the world.
Christianity Today -- May 7
Compiled by Ted Olsen
Dutch missionary Jakob Griffioen (alternate but apparently incorrect spellings: Jacob Gerifon, Grifion) and his German wife woke up around midnight last night to the sound of someone at the front door of their ground floor apartment in the northern Lebanon town of Tripoli. When they checked to see what was happening, all they saw was someone running away down the street—and a package at their door.
"They called for help from a Jordanian and an Egyptian, two of their followers, who live in the adjacent apartment," a police officer told the AFP news service. "The Jordanian, who was the first to arrive, was killed instantly by the explosion of the device."