War (of Words) with Syria
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Friday, Apr 18, 2003
[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."
The Daily Star -- April 18
Lahoud slams American threats against Syria
Other parties lash out at Washington
Elie Hourani
President Emile Lahoud condemned on Thursday the recent US threats against both Syria and Lebanon, “especially those that recently focused on Syria,” calling it “unfair to punish both the Lebanese and the Syrians for standing by Iraq and insisting on a peaceful solution.”
[Analysis and opinion.]
Washington Post -- April 18
Syrian Power Play
By Charles Krauthammer
Syria does not act out of sentimentality. Its harboring of high officials from Saddam Hussein's government is not an act of Baath Party brotherhood. It's a form of realpolitik, a postwar continuation of Syria's prewar opposition to America's aim to democratize Iraq.
[Report on a suspected missile facility.]
Christian Broadcast Network -- April 17
Syria’s Weapons of Terror Aimed at Israel
By Chris Mitchell
JERUSALEM — Secretary of State Colin Powell says he will travel to Damascus to meet Syria's President Bashar Assad. The meeting comes in the face of Syrian denials that it has weapons of mass destruction. But in the past six years, CBN News shown exclusive evidence that Syria does have such weapons, and the missiles to deliver them.
PakTribune -- April 18
Syria says no to arms inspection
CAIRO - Syria's foreign minister said on Thursday his country would not accept arms inspections, but would join forces with the world to rid the entire West Asia of weapons of mass destruction in line with its recent proposal to the United Nations.
[Retargeting?]
NewsMax -- April 17
Hezbollah: ‘Death to America’
Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, in a speech before 150,000 supporters in a Beirut suburb said the U.S. will be made to suffer greatly as a result of its presence in Iraq, according to a report in the L.A. Times:
Daily KOS -- April 17
Syria countermoves, scores against US
The US continues its bizarre on-again, off-again war of words against Syria. Seriously, do a Google News search for "Syria" and "US", and get headlines like:
No Plans for war on Syria: US
US renews its attack on Syria
US 'would enter Syria for Saddam'
US will not cross Syrian border to hunt Saddam
So who the hell knows who will come out ahead what is obviously a power-struggle at the top of the Bush Administration.
[From this past Sunday.]
Meet the Press -- April 13
Russert and Rumsfeld, Russert and Moustapha
MR. RUSSERT: What happens if Syria doesn’t change their behavior?
SEC’Y RUMSFELD: Oh, that’s above my pay grade. Those are the kinds of things that countries and presidents decide. That’s broad national policy. I’m a participant, but I’m certainly not a decider.
-----
MR. RUSSERT: Do you believe there’s a potential of war between the United States and Syria?
AMB. MOUSTAPHA: No, I do not believe this. I’ll tell you why. Because we believe that the
American values and we believe in American fairness. We don’t think that extremist people will further push the agenda. It does not serve the long-term interests of the United States to be seen as attacking one country after another. This is not good. We believe in lots of good American values and we would love to see those American values applied in the West Bank and Gaza.
Boston Globe -- April 15
New Syrian diplomat has a voice, and he tries mightily to be heard
By John Donnelly
WASHINGTON -- Imad Moustapha arrived in Washington on Feb. 16, in the midst of one of the most powerful snowstorms in years. More than 2 feet fell in some areas.
Perhaps Mother Nature was giving him a heads up.
Moustapha was moving here to be the deputy ambassador at the Syrian Embassy, and his first task was to head up public diplomacy. Since he arrived, he has been caught in another storm, this one political, and it is swirling all around him.
''He seems Americanized; he's persuasive,'' said Edward S. Walker Jr., a career diplomat who was assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs in the early months of the Bush administration.
''The problem is,'' Walker said, ''he will have to show he can deliver. The Syrians have not taken seriously the threats from the administration until now. I don't think they are reading the situation correctly. Imad is concerned about this. If you look at where the neoconservatives are coming from, Syria is next, and I think he understands this.''