This page is a narrow-focus warblog. In fact, it's a blog of a war that is only verbal, so far. The content consists primarily of pronouncements by various government officials in the US, Syria and around the world, as well as analysis and commentary from media outlets.

Archive

Sources (non-exhaustive)

AFP -- France
Al Bawaba -- Jordon, UK
Al Jazeera -- Qatar
Arab News -- Saudi Arabia
Arabic News
Asia Times -- Hong Kong
Associated Press (AP) -- USA
BBC -- UK
CNN -- USA
The Daily Star -- Lebanon
Financial Times -- UK
Forward -- USA
The Guardian -- UK
--- The Observer
Google News
Ha'aretz -- Israel
.......... Ha'aretz vs. haaretz.com
The Hindu -- India
IRNA -- Iran
IslamOnline -- Qatar
Maariv -- now in English -- Israel
Monday Morning -- Lebanon
New York Post -- USA
New York Times -- USA
Reuters -- UK
Scoop -- New Zealand
United Press International (UPI) -- USA
US DoD Defense Link
US Dept. of State Int'l Information Programs
US White House, Press Briefing Archive
Washington Post

Cast of Characters

Syria
.......... CIA Factbook
.......... Global Security, Syria Special Weapons News Archive
.......... BBC, profile
Bashar al-Assad, President
.......... BBC, profile
.......... Slate, profile
.......... Arabic News, biography
.......... Forward, profile
Farouk al-Shara, Foreign Minister
Imad Moustapha, Deputy Syrian Ambassador to the US
.......... Boston Globe, profile
.......... personal page?
.......... Greta's Fox News show, photo

USA
George W. Bush
.......... US White House, biography
.......... A&E, biography
.......... Iraqi News, biography
.......... Realchange.org, Skeletons
.......... awolbush.com
.......... bushwatch.com
.......... whitehouse.org, biography, may contain satire
.......... bartcop, profile of Bush's military career
Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary
.......... A & E, biography
.......... The New Republic, profile
Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
.......... US DoD, biography
.......... Wikipedia, biography
.......... ABC News, profile
Colin Powell, Secretary of State
.......... US White House, biography
.......... Behind Colin Powell's Legend
Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense
.......... US DoD, biography
.......... US DoD, transcripts
.......... American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, biography
.......... Slate, profile
.......... Foreign Policy in Focus, track record in Asia
.......... The Australian, profile
Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor
.......... US White House, biography
.......... Hoover Institution, profile
.......... BBC, profile
John R. Bolton, Under Secretary of State, Arms Control and International Security
.......... US Dept. of State, biography
.......... Foreign Policy in Focus, profile
Douglas Feith, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy
.......... US DoD, biography
.......... Middle East Infromation Center, profile
.......... American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, biography
Richard Perle, Defense Advisory Board
.......... AEI, biography
.......... Center for Cooperative Research, biography -- scroll down
.......... Slate, profile
Richard Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State

NGOs
AEI
AIPAC
PNAC
.......... PNAC's website
.......... pnac.info

UK
Tony Blair, Prime Minister
.......... 10 Downing St., biography
Jack Straw, Foreign Minister
.......... 10 Downing St., biography


Israel
Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister
.......... Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, biography
.......... Electronic Intifada, biography
Shaul Mofaz, Defense Minister
Silvan Shalom, Foreign Minister
Dov Weisglass, Sharon's chief of staff
Ephriam Halevy, National Security Adviser

Palestine
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen)
.......... Middle East Information Center, profile
Hamas
.......... UPI, background on Hamas/Israel connection
.......... Terrorism Research Center, profile

Lebanon
.......... CIA, profile
.......... Dept. of State, profile
Emile Lahoud, President
.......... Lebanese Embassy to the US, biography
.......... American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, profile
Rafiq Hariri, Prime Minister
.......... Lebanese Embassy to the US, biography
.......... BBC, profile
.......... The Estimate profile
Nabih Berri, Speaker of the Parliament
.......... Lebanese Embassy to the US, biography
.......... Middle East Intelligence Bulletin, biography
.......... Encyclopedia of the Orient, biography
Jean Obeid, Foreign Minister
Hizbullah
.......... Hizbullah's website
.......... US Dept. of State, profile
.......... Momkey Media Report, Hezbollah links
.......... Yellow Times The History of Hizbullah

Multi-national Organizations
United Nations
European Union
Gulf Cooperation Council
Arab League

Reciprocity

::: wood s lot :::
Providence Journal
random walks
blogs against war
The Memory Hole


War (of Words) with Syria

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Tuesday, May 13, 2003

Collapse of Iraqi trade hits Syrian economy hard
The Daily Star via MENAFN -- May 13


DAMASCUS: Omar Abu Said spent $225,000 on purchasing and equipping two factories south of Baghdad to manufacture high-quality industrial alcohol from distilled dates. But just as his factories were ready to start production, the war in Iraq began.

"I don't know what has happened to my factories," Abu Said said. "There was a lot of fighting near them during the war and I'm worried that they have been damaged or destroyed. All my savings were invested in that project."

Abu Said is one of many Syrian businessmen who are lamenting the collapse of trade with Iraq, which has dealt an unwelcome blow to the shaky Syrian economy. But some analysts believe the impact on Syria will be limited to the short term and may even encourage businesses to seek new markets elsewhere.

- mark 5-14-2003 12:35 am [link]

After meeting Khatami, Nasrallah says Hizbullah enjoys backing of Iran
Al Bawaba -- May 13


The head of Lebanon's Hizbullah said on Tuesday that he had the backing of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, despite U.S. demands and pressure.
- mark 5-14-2003 12:32 am [link]

Syrians Worry About Their Baath Party
AP via Austin-American Statesman -- May 13


BEIRUT, Lebanon --Despite three decades of hostility between the rival Baath parties of Syria and Iraq, the Syrian Baathists are watching with concern how the party that ruled neighboring Iraq under Saddam Hussein has been crushed and dissolved by the U.S. forces in Iraq.
- mark 5-14-2003 12:25 am [link]

[Harsh words for Christians? Any form of criticism is "bashing"?]

State Dept. Duped by Syria, State Official Bashes Christians
Christian Broadcast Network -- May 13


By Chris Mitchell

Some observers feel Syria is dancing circles around the State Department with public assurances but little concrete action.

CBN.com – JERUSALEM — Syria recently promised Colin Powell that it would take action against terrorists inside its borders, but it hasn't fulfilled those promises. And in a separate story, a State Department official has some harsh words for conservatives and Christians.

Syrian President Bashar Assad assured Powell that Syria would close the offices of Palestinian terrorist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad. But Assad told The Washington Post that there are differences of opinion about what was meant by "closures" of the offices.

So the offices remain open, and other actions like cutting aid to Hezbollah have not been implemented. Some observers feel Syria is dancing circles around the State Department with public assurances but little concrete action.

In another State Department issue, The Jerusalem Post reported Monday that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns criticized U.S. groups that support Israel. The groups include conservatives, Christians and representatives of AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby in Washington.

Burns met with left-wing Knesset members, Peace Now activists and Palestinian representatives on May 4th about the new peace proposal called the "road map." According to the minutes of the meeting, Burns stated that "the common sense of all peoples will override the conservative and Christian viewpoints once they see the road map's potential."

- mark 5-13-2003 11:07 pm [link] [2 refs]

SYRIA: AN OK FOR PRIVATE RADIO STATIONS
Monday Morning (Beirut) -- May 12


The Syrian authorities have approved the creation of four private radio stations, but they will be limited to broadcasting music and advertisements, according to the official SANA news agency.

The stations are expected to begin broadcasting on FM wavelength in the coming months to Syria and neighboring countries, SANA said.

Syria’s two government-run radio stations, Radio Damascus and the Voice of the People, are the only ones authorized to broadcast programs on political issues.

A parliamentary bill on setting up private radio stations was approved by the Syrian government in January 2002. In 2001, Syria authorized the creation of two private newspapers, the satirical Al-Dumari paper and an economic paper, Al-Iqtissadiya.

- mark 5-13-2003 11:02 pm [link]

Iran, Syria, Lebanon all shun confrontation: Lebanese PM
AFP via IranMania -- May 13


BEIRUT - Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri said after talks Monday with Iran's President Mohammad Khatami that Beirut, Tehran and Damascus all shunned confrontation in the Middle East and sought a global settlement

"And I think that cooperation among the moderate countries will lead towards a better situation in the region," he said. "Khatami represents moderation in the Muslim world."

On the issue of US pressure on Lebanon and its ally Syria to disarm the Lebanese Shiite Muslim fundamentalist militia Hezbollah, Hariri said the focus should be on finding a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East.

- mark 5-13-2003 10:49 pm [link]

U.S. troops reopen Iraqi border crossing with Syria, general says
AP via San Jose Mercury News -- May 13


MATT KELLEY
WASHINGTON - U.S. forces on Tuesday reopened a border crossing between Iraq and Syria, the commander of the Army's 101st Airborne Division said.

Maj. Gen. David Petraeus said his forces, based in Fort Campbell, Ky., reopened a crossing near the northern city of Mosul "to trade in accordance with United Nations regulations." He was referring to remaining sanctions that ban shipments of weapons and other restricted material to Iraq.

- mark 5-13-2003 10:42 pm [link]

Monday, May 12, 2003

[Most of the interview was concerning Israel-Palestine issues, but the following except covered Syria.]

Powell Interview with Israeli Television Channel 2 on May 12
US Department of State -- May 13


QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, last week you said that President Assad of Syria lied to you. What makes you believe that he doesn't do it again, especially after an interview to Newsweek when he said that he is not going to close the terror organization offices, and he's not going to crack down on Hezbollah?

SECRETARY POWELL: He did mislead me once before. It is not a matter of me believing him or not believing him now, it's a matter of what he does. What I said to him very clearly is there are things that we believe he should do if he wants a better relationship with the United States, if he wants to play a helpful role in solving the crisis here in the region, and frankly if he wants to have good relations with a neighbor of his that will have a new government, a government that I believe will be very pro-American, very pro-Western, and will not view with favor any efforts on the part of Syria to either destabilize Iraq or to continue its terrorist support activities in Israel and in the territories.

So I believe that President Bashar al-Assad has every incentive to respond to the issues that I put before him last weekend. If he chooses not to respond, if he chooses to dissemble, if he chooses to find excuses, then he will find that he is on the wrong side of history. He will find that he will not have better relations with the United States, and he can take his choice. Does he want to have good relations with the United States? Or does he want to have good relations with Hamas? His choice.

- mark 5-13-2003 2:26 am [link]

Hizbullah braces for America’s wrath
Politburo member expects no change in support

The Daily Star -- May 12


Alia Ibrahim
Hizbullah appears to be the main target of the United States in the Middle East, now that the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been toppled. It faces accusations of carrying out terrorist activities but insists it is a legitimate resistance group. Ghaleb Abu Zeinab, a member of the party’s politburo, stressed that the resistance has two clear and simple aims, liberating the occupied lands and deterring Israel.

Speaking to The Daily Star, he was very firm in denying accusations that the party undertook terrorist activities during the 80s, including any involvement in Western hostage-taking and the bombing of the US Marine barracks. He said that all those activities had taken place before 1985, the year when Hizbullah was officially formed, adding that this was a time when chaos had reigned in the country.

- mark 5-13-2003 2:18 am [link]

[How relations between the US and Iran may affect relations between Israel, Lebanon and Syria.]

US and Iran hold secret talks after 23 years of hostility
The Independent -- May 13


By Rupert Cornwell in Washington
The United States and Iran have held secret talks that could have an important bearing on the interlocking problems of Afghanistan, the future government of Iraq and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Though Bush administration officials denied yesterday the dialogue could lead to a normalisation of relations, senior representatives of the two countries have had three rounds of talks this year.

The next session is due next week in Geneva – technically under the auspices of the United Nations, but in practice they are bilateral discussions between the Iranians and an American team led by Zalmay Khalilzad, President George Bush's special envoy for Afghanistan and Iraq.

The contacts were disclosed as the Iranian President, Mohammad Khatami, began a historic visit to Beirut. He was expected to make a nod in the direction of one important demand by Washington – for Hizbollah guerrillas, who operate from Lebanon and are backed by Tehran, to rein in attacks on Israeli-occupied territories.

In oblique confirmation of Iran's desire to lower the temperature with the US, Rafik al-Hariri, the Lebanese Prime Minister, declared after talks with Mr Khatami yesterday that neither wanted to inflame tensions in the region, and would press for a diplomatic solution. "We still have in Lebanon part of our land occupied, the Syrians have the Golan Heights. All these need to be solved," Mr Hariri said, referring to the Shebaa farms and to the territory Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war.

- mark 5-13-2003 2:04 am [link]