Ha'aretz - Article In his comments yesterday, Rumsfeld distinguished between the Syrian people on the one hand and its leadership, which supports terror, on the other. He stressed the link between Syria and Hezbollah, which the U.S. has recognized as a terror organization. Rumsfeld did not threaten military retaliation, but wondered who would invest in a country like Syria. And for the first time, Bush yesterday demanded that Syria dispose of its chemical weapons.
These statements indicate a turnaround in Washington's approach to Damascus. The previous policy of quiet operations was led by the CIA, which apparently got intoxicated by information that the Syrians had provided at some stage about Al-Qaida's operations in various countries, including Germany. Washington, therefore, was reluctant to publicly censor Syria when it learned that the Syrians were acquiring equipment and arms for Iraq in various countries in Eastern Europe. The Americans approached Syria with this information, but Damascus did not stop the acquisitions. Syria continued to broker Iraqi arms deals until the fighting began.
Next, Syria allowed Palestinian and Syrian volunteers to cross the border into Iraq. American pressure on Syria mounted, but Damascus did not make any real effort to seal the border. This was not a matter of slow response but of deliberate disregard to America's requests, which would not have happened without President Bashar Assad's approval. He seems to be drawing courage from recent talks with the French, who are still encouraging anti-American activities.
America grew even angrier when it discovered that even after Saddam Hussein's defeat, the Syrians, in coordination with Hezbollah's leader, continued to determine how to hurt the Americans in Iraq and disrupt their progress. The leading concept in Syria today is that Iraq should be to the Americans what Lebanon was for Israel - namely, to cause terror attacks and suicide bombers and generate as many American casualties as possible. It is yet unknown whether Syria or Hezbollah has any operational plans to back up these professed policies.
However, Washington seems to have solid information about different Iraqi leaders who have escaped to Syria; all these fugitives have been defined by the U.S. as criminals of war. These men are probably not part of Saddam's closest circle and most likely include leading figures in Iraq's military industry. It won't be long before Washington demands the extradition of the wanted Iraqi leaders.
These statements indicate a turnaround in Washington's approach to Damascus. The previous policy of quiet operations was led by the CIA, which apparently got intoxicated by information that the Syrians had provided at some stage about Al-Qaida's operations in various countries, including Germany. Washington, therefore, was reluctant to publicly censor Syria when it learned that the Syrians were acquiring equipment and arms for Iraq in various countries in Eastern Europe. The Americans approached Syria with this information, but Damascus did not stop the acquisitions. Syria continued to broker Iraqi arms deals until the fighting began.
Next, Syria allowed Palestinian and Syrian volunteers to cross the border into Iraq. American pressure on Syria mounted, but Damascus did not make any real effort to seal the border. This was not a matter of slow response but of deliberate disregard to America's requests, which would not have happened without President Bashar Assad's approval. He seems to be drawing courage from recent talks with the French, who are still encouraging anti-American activities.
America grew even angrier when it discovered that even after Saddam Hussein's defeat, the Syrians, in coordination with Hezbollah's leader, continued to determine how to hurt the Americans in Iraq and disrupt their progress. The leading concept in Syria today is that Iraq should be to the Americans what Lebanon was for Israel - namely, to cause terror attacks and suicide bombers and generate as many American casualties as possible. It is yet unknown whether Syria or Hezbollah has any operational plans to back up these professed policies.
However, Washington seems to have solid information about different Iraqi leaders who have escaped to Syria; all these fugitives have been defined by the U.S. as criminals of war. These men are probably not part of Saddam's closest circle and most likely include leading figures in Iraq's military industry. It won't be long before Washington demands the extradition of the wanted Iraqi leaders.
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