War (of Words) with Syria
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Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003
[A story covered previously spoke of preparations to respond to Hezbollah.]
U.S. Fears Hizbullah Retaliation
Middle East News Online -- April 22
"It has a significant presence of its trained operatives inside the United States waiting for the call to action," Sen. Bob Graham, a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said. "In recent years they have been infiltrating into this core in the United States people who have gone through their training camps and have the skills of terrorist activity."
via What Really Happened
Dissonance
Compare the differences in wording from two different entries in the CIA World Factbook. Current rhetoric from the Bush administration has introduced the word "occupation" to the description of the Syrian deployment in Lebanon.
Syria
Since 1976, Syrian troops have been stationed in Lebanon, ostensibly in a peacekeeping capacity.
Lebanon
Syria maintains about 20,000 troops in Lebanon based mainly in Beirut, North Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. Syria's troop deployment was legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil war and in the Ta'if Accord. Damascus justifies its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord.
Hizbollah Urges Muslims to Defend Syria Against US
Reuters -- April 22
By Mariam Karouny
BEIRUT - Hizbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah called on Arab and Muslim states on Tuesday to defend Syria if the United States launched any military action against Damascus.
[Discussion of cabinet shakeup and Syria's role in same. Report on Lahoud's speech about Lebanese security in light of regional situation.]
HARIRI’S FIFTH GOVERNMENT A CABINET OF SOLIDARITY WITH SYRIA
Monday Morning (Beirut) -- April 21
Lahoud condemned the recent US threats made against both Syria and Lebanon, “especially those focussing on Syria”, saying it was “unfair to punish the Lebanese and the Syrians for standing by Iraq and insisting on a peaceful solution”.
Speaking to a delegation of Army officers visiting Baabda Palace and led by the Army commander-in-chief, General Michel Sleiman, the president said that “Israel’s way of collecting the fruits of the US victory in Iraq depends largely on discrediting Lebanon and Syria and describing them as supporting the Iraqi regime instead of the Iraqi people”.
Lebanon’s support, the president explained, was aimed at alleviating the ill-effects of the invasion on the Iraqi people, adding that Israel’s game was already known since it was under pressure to implement the ‘road map’ peace plan that promises an independent Palestinian state by 2005. But to make up for that pressure, Tel Aviv wanted to strip Lebanon and Syria of any ability to resist or of any negotiating leverage.
[Gingrich expounds on diplomacy at the AEI.]
Gingrich blasts 'diplomatic failure' at State Department
White House defends Powell
CNN -- April 22
"The concept of the American secretary of state going to Damascus to meet with a terrorist-supporting, secret-police-wielding dictator is ludicrous," said Gingrich, who resigned the speakership under fire in 1999. He had represented Georgia as a Republican congressman. "The United States military has created an opportunity to apply genuine economic, diplomatic and political pressure on Syria."
[Analysis of US pressure and its effects on Syria's politics.]
Syria's stark choice
Assad must decide whether to purge prominent figures from his regime or face renewed US wrath
Guardian -- April 21
Brian Whitaker
Syria, unfortunately, is playing directly into the hands of American neo-conservatives.
According to diplomatic sources, the onslaught from Washington is by no means over, and the US is now threatening to expose key business figures in Syria over military sales to Saddam's regime.
The American move could plunge Syria into political turmoil because those involved are closely linked to the country's "old guard" - senior members of the regime who retained power after the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, succeeded his father almost three years ago.
More articles by Brian Whitaker.
Syria welcomes Bush's soothing comments
Syrian FM says Damascus always favored dialogue with Washington following US President's statement.
Middle East Online -- April 21
DAMASCUS - Syria welcomed Monday an apparent softening of US charges against Damascus, with Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shara saying the country always favored dialogue to confrontation with Washington.
"We welcome the recent statement by President (George W.) Bush and I would like to add that Syria from the beginning never wanted confrontation but dialogue with the USA," he told reporters during a joint press conference with visiting Spanish counterpart Ana Palacio.
[Lieberman uses language similar to my previous commentary -- that Syria hasn't decided yet.]
Lieberman: 'Aggressive diplomacy' needed in Syria
AP via The Advocate -- April 20
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., says "very aggressive diplomacy" and possible economic sanctions are needed to persuade Syria to join sides with the United States and against terrorism.
Lieberman, a candidate for president in 2004, told CBS' "Face the Nation" in an interview broadcast Sunday that the Syrians have not taken sides. He said they have provided some help to America in pursuing al-Qaida terrorists, but continue to house and support several terrorist groups.
"Remember that after Sept. 11, when we declared that war on terrorism, we said it was time for the nations of the world to take sides," Lieberman said. "Either they were with us or they were with the terrorists. The Syrians have not clearly taken sides
[Lengthy report on Hezbollah. Discusses potential access by Hezbollah to WMD in Iran and Syria. Discusses Hezbollah's successful resistance to Israeli occupation of Lebanon, and their involvement with Palestinian militants.]
Hezbollah: "A-Team Of Terrorists"
60 Minutes -- April 18
(CBS) This is what deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage had in mind a few months ago when he pinned this label on Hezbollah.
"Hezbollah may be the 'A-Team of Terrorists' and maybe al-Qaeda is actually the 'B' team. And they're on the list and their time will come,” says Armitage. “There is no question about it - it's all in good time. And we're going to go after these problems just like a high school wrestler goes after a match. We're going to take them down one at a time."
But Hezbollah's leader, Sheikh Hasan Nasrallah, who we met in Beirut, insists that his group no longer poses a threat to the U.S. Unlike the leadership of al-Qaeda, he isn't hiding from anyone. You may never have heard of Nasrallah before, but he is a hugely popular figure, not just in the region but also among Arabs living in the West
[This blog may be morphing into a war of words with militant groups in Lebanon. Good thing I didn't hard code the name. In Lebanon, Nasrallah spoke of "Death to America". But he probably came to realize those words were amplified far beyond Beirut. Hezbollah seems to want to do some PR in the US to avoid being the most obvious target for US retalitation to Arab retaliation to the invasion.]
US faces retaliation: Hezbollah
AFP via news.com.au -- April 21
The US-led war in Iraq will encourage Islamic militants to retaliate against the United States, the leader of the Lebanon-based Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah has said.
"American policies in the region encourage this kind of retaliation, whether we agree with it or not," Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah told CBS television's 60 Minutes program.