Ehud Ya'ari
A Different Spring
It is difficult to mistake the intentions of the ad-hoc American-French-British alliance formed to bring about the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Asad. The steamroller effect of the pressures exerted on him through the Security Council is pushing him slowly but surely toward breaking point. This is how the picture is being read in the Arab world, which has avoided rallying to the Syrian president's cause, and the same is true in Damascus itself. Bashar al-Asad is perceived as politically condemned, a dead president walking, whose remaining time in office is loudly ticking away. The challenge, it seems, is how to ease Asad out of power without causing Syria to collapse into a swirl of instability, and how to do away with the ruling Baath Party without inviting terror organizations to fill the vacuum, as happened in Iraq. Or in other words, how to depose the Asad family and its clients without having the army, at least part of the security services and the government administration cease to function. In the past two weeks, there have been growing signs that Asad is beginning to lose his grip on Syria. Several heavy-duty businessmen connected to him, and chief among them his cousin Rami Makhluf, have left the country. Makhluf, whose father was the commander of the personal guard of the late Asad senior, has moved his headquarters to Dubai. Others have gone to Paris. There is a quiet wave of Syrian lira withdrawals from the banks, and the Syrian Central Bank is flooding ever greater sums into the market in order to prevent the local currency going into freefall. Opposition figures, and most prominent among them the veteran Communist leader Riad Turk, are calling publicly, inside Syria, for Asad's "resignation." Harsh criticism of Asad is being aired within the Alawite minority that has been ruling for 40 years, particularly among the clan of Gen. Ghazi Kana'an, the interior minister who recently "committed suicide." Many Alawites are convinced that Kana'an was poisoned because he tried to distance himself from his rivals, heads of other security branches who were involved in the murder of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri. Army commanders, and most notably Chief of Staff Ali Habib, are doing their best to remain in the shadows and are not joining in the demonstrations of support that Asad is organizing for himself. The lively Internet chat among Syria's intellectual elite talks openly and bluntly of preparations for a post-Bashar era. There are other signals as well. From his Spanish exile, Asad's estranged uncle Rif'at Asad, a former vice president, is running a noisy campaign to return to Syria, this time as president, on a platform of democratic reform. Rif'at's recent visit to Saudi Arabia during the Muslim fast month of Ramadan shows that he has the ear of the royal court there. His satellite TV station, ANN, is spreading rumors about a rift between the president and his brother-in-law, Gen. Asef Shawkat, head of military intelligence and a prime suspect in the Hariri murder. In Lebanon, there are reports of Asad loyalists in the Christian camp defecting and seeking the patronage of the Maronite Church. Activists of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood are putting out feelers for a dialogue with Washington, Paris and London. And one opposition activist, Nabil Fayad, was even ready to defend his recent meetings with Israelis, including cabinet minister Meir Shitreet and former Shin Bet head Avi Dichter, on Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV. All these separate notes make up a cacophonous background music that gives a sense of the political climate in Syria, but they do not provide enough of a chorus to point to the formation of an alternative force. As soon as a coherent tune emerges, Asad's seat will begin to shake, even if he is still on it. It will constitute the swansong of the Asad dynasty. The next moment of truth will probably come on December 15, when the extension granted to Detlev Mehlis, the special investigator appointed by the U.N. to probe Hariri's murder, runs out. His new report will only make things worse for Asad. The chances are growing that one of those Syrians under investigation will open his mouth to save his own skin. There is no shortage of candidates. In the meantime Asad will try to pretend to cooperate with the investigation. In reality he will be doing his best to hold it up and cover tracks. However, the piles of evidence that Mehlis already has, not least the records of the constant cellphone conversations between the lookouts following Hariri's convoy and their handlers, will make it difficult for the Syrians to wriggle out this time. Therefore, it is assumed that the haze might clear toward the spring of 2006. The next "Damascus Spring" should look different from the one that Asad promised when he first came to power, and that he never delivered. The various players within the regime and outside of it will have to decide whether to tie their fate to his, or to explore other avenues. And they will have to take these decisions against the backdrop of the possible removal of admiral Emil Lahoud, the Lebanese president and faithful prot?g? of Asad. At this stage, the Maronite Patriarch Butrus Nasrallah Sfeir is delaying his ouster. He fears a precedent of a Christian president being routed by the heads of other sects, namely the Sunni Saad Hariri (son of Rafiq) and Walid Junblatt on behalf of the Druse. The patriarch is defending Lahoud with the cooperation of Hizballah for now, but that partnership cannot last long. The moment there is agreement on an alternative Christian candidate, Lahoud will have to go in disgrace and pray that legal steps will not be taken against him for involvement in Hariri's murder. Thus the battle for power in Damascus may begin in Beirut, and Asad's fate might be sealed, in the final analysis, in the Lebanese presidential palace of Ba'abda. Once Lahoud is out, it will be his patron's turn next.
The Jerusalem Report, November 28, 2005 issue
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
‘Bulldozer’ Sharon smashes new path
By Matthew Tostevin
JERUSALEM: First Ariel Sharon remodelled himself, now Israel’s ‘Bulldozer’ aims to reshape the landscape of the Middle East forever. Sharon has shifted far enough left to form a centrist party with a platform of pursuing peace and giving up isolated settlements.He is still no dove, vowing to keep major West Bank enclaves as part of a long-term strategic vision.But the transformation that began with the 77-year-old ex-general’s widely popular withdrawal from the occupied Gaza Strip has become complete with Sharon’s departure from the right-wing Likud after it failed to follow his lead.Ditching the party he helped found three decades earlier was a move typical of the burly master risk-taker.“He always keeps the initiative on his side and it usually turns out well,” said political analyst Gerald Steinberg.Until Sharon shocked Israelis by announcing the Gaza pullout in 2003, there was little hint that the man nicknamed the Bulldozer for his bruising style would go into reverse gear to leave a very different legacy.Sharon fought in all Israel’s wars, notching up battlefield victories — sometimes in defiance of more cautious commanders — and moving in crushing force against Arab fighters.He was particularly reviled in the Arab world for masterminding the invasion of Lebanon in 1982, during which Lebanese Christian allies massacred Palestinians in two refugee camps.Sharon was elected prime minister in 2001 and 2003 with a pledge for tough action against militants behind suicide bombings.Sharon’s dramatic change in direction came late in 2003 when Israeli forces were having greater success in stopping attacks, but violence had still sunk another chance for negotiations on a US-backed peace ‘road map’.Sharon set out a plan for giving up all the Gaza settlements and four of 120 in the West Bank.The right-wingers he had encouraged to ‘settle every hilltop’ after Israel captured Gaza and the West Bank in the 1967 war were furious at what they saw as betrayal by their old champion.But by forming an alliance with Labour leftists who would once have laughed at the idea of supporting Sharon, he was able to defeat the settlers and their allies in his own Likud to complete the Gaza pullout in September.—Reuters
JERUSALEM: First Ariel Sharon remodelled himself, now Israel’s ‘Bulldozer’ aims to reshape the landscape of the Middle East forever. Sharon has shifted far enough left to form a centrist party with a platform of pursuing peace and giving up isolated settlements.He is still no dove, vowing to keep major West Bank enclaves as part of a long-term strategic vision.But the transformation that began with the 77-year-old ex-general’s widely popular withdrawal from the occupied Gaza Strip has become complete with Sharon’s departure from the right-wing Likud after it failed to follow his lead.Ditching the party he helped found three decades earlier was a move typical of the burly master risk-taker.“He always keeps the initiative on his side and it usually turns out well,” said political analyst Gerald Steinberg.Until Sharon shocked Israelis by announcing the Gaza pullout in 2003, there was little hint that the man nicknamed the Bulldozer for his bruising style would go into reverse gear to leave a very different legacy.Sharon fought in all Israel’s wars, notching up battlefield victories — sometimes in defiance of more cautious commanders — and moving in crushing force against Arab fighters.He was particularly reviled in the Arab world for masterminding the invasion of Lebanon in 1982, during which Lebanese Christian allies massacred Palestinians in two refugee camps.Sharon was elected prime minister in 2001 and 2003 with a pledge for tough action against militants behind suicide bombings.Sharon’s dramatic change in direction came late in 2003 when Israeli forces were having greater success in stopping attacks, but violence had still sunk another chance for negotiations on a US-backed peace ‘road map’.Sharon set out a plan for giving up all the Gaza settlements and four of 120 in the West Bank.The right-wingers he had encouraged to ‘settle every hilltop’ after Israel captured Gaza and the West Bank in the 1967 war were furious at what they saw as betrayal by their old champion.But by forming an alliance with Labour leftists who would once have laughed at the idea of supporting Sharon, he was able to defeat the settlers and their allies in his own Likud to complete the Gaza pullout in September.—Reuters
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
A moment of truth for Syria
By Dennis Ross
During the nearly 30-year rule of Hafez Assad, Syria came to control Lebanon and used terrorist groups — Hezbollah, Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine — to exert pressure (and at times reduce it) on others in the region. His son, Bashar, who has been the Syrian president for the past five years, seems to lack his father's guile and understanding of limits that need to be respected.
As a result, Syria is completely isolated both within the Middle East and outside it. Even Algeria, the Arab country represented on the United Nations Security Council, joined in the unanimous vote Oct. 31 demanding Syrian cooperation in the international investigation of the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Is President Bashar Assad's regime on its last legs? If it cannot survive, what are the alternatives to it, and are those alternatives likely to trigger even greater instability and problems for us in an already volatile region?
Pressure has been building
Clearly, the Syrian regime is under tremendous pressure. Detlev Mehlis, a former German prosecutor charged with investigating the assassination for the U.N., has issued a preliminary report implicating the Syrian security forces in the plot to kill Hariri. While Mehlis does not officially allege that members of the Assad family were part of the plot, the names of Assef Shawkat and Maher Assad — President Assad's brother-in-law (the head of Syrian intelligence) and brother (the head of the presidential guard) — were excised from the published version of the report but appeared in a draft that news organizations were able to read.
There is little doubt that they are now suspects in the investigation, and this creates a fundamental problem for the regime. The Security Council resolution mandates cooperation — including the arrest and, if requested, transfer out of the country for questioning of possible suspects. So Assad might soon be called on to turn his relatives over for questioning or worse. If Mehlis concludes that Shawkat and Maher Assad are responsible for the assassination, the president will face an international demand to turn his brother and brother-in-law over to a non-Syrian court for trial.
Before the issuance of Mehlis' preliminary findings, many international news reports indicated that the Assad regime was putting out feelers to the Bush administration to do a "Libyan-type" Pan Am Flight 103 deal. Under that deal, security operatives were turned over for trial, and Libya assumed liability for the downing of the aircraft. In this connection, the "suicide" of Ghazi Kanaan, the Syrian minister of interior, on the eve of the Mehlis report was probably part of a planned response.
If the leading elements of the Syrian regime needed a Syrian scapegoat in order to save themselves, Kanaan — who had basically run Lebanon as the leading Syrian general there — would have been highly believable. But Mehlis never even mentioned Kanaan in the conspiracy, thus Assad's quandary.
If he fails to cooperate, the president knows Syria will probably face U.N.-imposed sanctions, a worrisome prospect given its already failing economy. Yet his only alternative might be to force his brother and brother-in-law to stand trial, something he would see as a threat to his own survival.
So what does he do?
Fear as a strategy
Assad will probably try to muddle through with a strategy based on the fear of the alternative to his regime — the radical Sunni Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, which appears to be the only organized group outside the regime. The Brotherhood is likely to scare secular Syrians, others in the region, and the international community alike.
Should the Muslim Brotherhood come to power, it would certainly support the insurgency in Iraq as well as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other rejectionists in acts of terror against Israel. But how different would that be from the current policy of the Assad regime?
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice declared after the Security Council vote that Syria was isolated and needed to change its posture on Iraq, Lebanon and Israel. Indeed, her message implied that the regime could save itself if it was ready to stop backing the insurgency in Iraq, its continuing efforts to destabilize Lebanon and its support for Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror in Israel.
Perhaps Assad will see this as a lifeline and realize that he must carry out a strategic shift to survive. Nothing he has done to date, however, would indicate either a capability or a willingness to transform Syrian behavior in such a dramatic fashion. Moreover, as desirable as such a change might be for the region, will the international community drop the demand for accountability for Hariri's assassination in return for such a shift?
Ironically, the threat to the regime today might come more from those within Syria who feel that to forestall international sanctions, the regime must be removed. The fear of the Muslim Brotherhood is unlikely to deter a military-led coup, particularly because the military (which is essentially secular) might see itself as the protector of Syria against the Brotherhood. As such, the alternative to President Assad's Alawi faction might not be the Muslim Brotherhood but a militarily-led Sunni-Alawi dominated regime. It wouldn't be democratic, but it would seek to reduce Syria's isolation.
In the end, Assad can save himself only by acting out of character and turning on his family and against the very terror groups he has supported. Would the Middle East be more secure if he did this? Absolutely, but don't bet on it; a better bet is that his days are probably numbered, and the outlook in Syria is likely to remain unclear for some time to come.
Dennis Ross is counselor at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, author ofThe Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peaceand was U.S. envoy to the Middle East under presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.
By Dennis Ross
During the nearly 30-year rule of Hafez Assad, Syria came to control Lebanon and used terrorist groups — Hezbollah, Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine — to exert pressure (and at times reduce it) on others in the region. His son, Bashar, who has been the Syrian president for the past five years, seems to lack his father's guile and understanding of limits that need to be respected.
As a result, Syria is completely isolated both within the Middle East and outside it. Even Algeria, the Arab country represented on the United Nations Security Council, joined in the unanimous vote Oct. 31 demanding Syrian cooperation in the international investigation of the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Is President Bashar Assad's regime on its last legs? If it cannot survive, what are the alternatives to it, and are those alternatives likely to trigger even greater instability and problems for us in an already volatile region?
Pressure has been building
Clearly, the Syrian regime is under tremendous pressure. Detlev Mehlis, a former German prosecutor charged with investigating the assassination for the U.N., has issued a preliminary report implicating the Syrian security forces in the plot to kill Hariri. While Mehlis does not officially allege that members of the Assad family were part of the plot, the names of Assef Shawkat and Maher Assad — President Assad's brother-in-law (the head of Syrian intelligence) and brother (the head of the presidential guard) — were excised from the published version of the report but appeared in a draft that news organizations were able to read.
There is little doubt that they are now suspects in the investigation, and this creates a fundamental problem for the regime. The Security Council resolution mandates cooperation — including the arrest and, if requested, transfer out of the country for questioning of possible suspects. So Assad might soon be called on to turn his relatives over for questioning or worse. If Mehlis concludes that Shawkat and Maher Assad are responsible for the assassination, the president will face an international demand to turn his brother and brother-in-law over to a non-Syrian court for trial.
Before the issuance of Mehlis' preliminary findings, many international news reports indicated that the Assad regime was putting out feelers to the Bush administration to do a "Libyan-type" Pan Am Flight 103 deal. Under that deal, security operatives were turned over for trial, and Libya assumed liability for the downing of the aircraft. In this connection, the "suicide" of Ghazi Kanaan, the Syrian minister of interior, on the eve of the Mehlis report was probably part of a planned response.
If the leading elements of the Syrian regime needed a Syrian scapegoat in order to save themselves, Kanaan — who had basically run Lebanon as the leading Syrian general there — would have been highly believable. But Mehlis never even mentioned Kanaan in the conspiracy, thus Assad's quandary.
If he fails to cooperate, the president knows Syria will probably face U.N.-imposed sanctions, a worrisome prospect given its already failing economy. Yet his only alternative might be to force his brother and brother-in-law to stand trial, something he would see as a threat to his own survival.
So what does he do?
Fear as a strategy
Assad will probably try to muddle through with a strategy based on the fear of the alternative to his regime — the radical Sunni Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, which appears to be the only organized group outside the regime. The Brotherhood is likely to scare secular Syrians, others in the region, and the international community alike.
Should the Muslim Brotherhood come to power, it would certainly support the insurgency in Iraq as well as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other rejectionists in acts of terror against Israel. But how different would that be from the current policy of the Assad regime?
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice declared after the Security Council vote that Syria was isolated and needed to change its posture on Iraq, Lebanon and Israel. Indeed, her message implied that the regime could save itself if it was ready to stop backing the insurgency in Iraq, its continuing efforts to destabilize Lebanon and its support for Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror in Israel.
Perhaps Assad will see this as a lifeline and realize that he must carry out a strategic shift to survive. Nothing he has done to date, however, would indicate either a capability or a willingness to transform Syrian behavior in such a dramatic fashion. Moreover, as desirable as such a change might be for the region, will the international community drop the demand for accountability for Hariri's assassination in return for such a shift?
Ironically, the threat to the regime today might come more from those within Syria who feel that to forestall international sanctions, the regime must be removed. The fear of the Muslim Brotherhood is unlikely to deter a military-led coup, particularly because the military (which is essentially secular) might see itself as the protector of Syria against the Brotherhood. As such, the alternative to President Assad's Alawi faction might not be the Muslim Brotherhood but a militarily-led Sunni-Alawi dominated regime. It wouldn't be democratic, but it would seek to reduce Syria's isolation.
In the end, Assad can save himself only by acting out of character and turning on his family and against the very terror groups he has supported. Would the Middle East be more secure if he did this? Absolutely, but don't bet on it; a better bet is that his days are probably numbered, and the outlook in Syria is likely to remain unclear for some time to come.
Dennis Ross is counselor at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, author ofThe Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peaceand was U.S. envoy to the Middle East under presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.
Bush May Soon Order Attacks on Bases Inside Syria
President Bush May Soon Order Aerial Attacks on Insurgent Military Bases Inside SyriaBy Washington---Within the past several weeks, President Bush has come within hours of ordering U.S. military forces to conduct aerial bombing raids against insurgent training camps inside Syrian territory that are being used by foreign fighters as a staging ground in which to enter Iraq and kill American soldiers. But Secretary of State, Condeleeza Rice and representatives from the Central Intelligence Agency have until now prevailed in convincing President Bush that Syrian President Bashar Assad can be reasoned with, according to high ranking officials within the Bush administration.
Heretofore Secretary of State Rice and the CIA have advocated patience in dealing with the Syrian leader on two accounts. For one, following September ll, 2001 Syrian officials, particularly its chief of military intelligence, Asef Shawkat, Assad’s brother-in-law, now a key suspect in the death of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, worked closely with U.S. counter-terrorism agencies. Secondly, CIA officials have told the White House that a U.S. military attack inside Syria may destabilize the Assad government and there is no guarantee that a worse government, possibly an Islamist fundamentalist one, might replace it. Israeli intelligence officials have also expressed similar concerns to their Western counterparts.
White House insiders, however, report the reservoir of patience for Syria is all but evaporating by the hour. One official known to be strongly advocating a strike against Syria is President Bush’s national intelligence director, John Negroponte.
In recent months, President Assad has been shown unmistakable evidence by representatives of the U.S. government of insurgent military training camps that are being operated inside Syrian territory. Assad has reviewed such information and repeatedly promised to do something about it. But to date he has done little or nothing to quell the insurgent attacks, most of which are comprised by Saudi nationals.
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“We do not have the least doubt that nine out of l0 of the suicide bombers who carry out suicide bombing operations among Iraqi citizens…are Arabs who have crossed the border with Syria,” Iraqi national security adviser, Mowaffak Rubaie, told journalists in Cairo last weekend.
In an exercise of pan-Arab solidarity, Syria’s President Assad expressed hope back in 2003 that Americans would lose the war in Iraq , which rankled feathers with Washington.
“The problem with any U.S. aerial strike inside Syria is that we are not a thousand percent sure where all of these camps are located,” explains one U.S. intelligence official. “But any such attack would surely bolster President Bush’s sagging popularity in the short term.”
Acting as if he knows what is coming, Syrian President Bashar Assad delivered a highly confrontational speech last Thursday at Damascus University in which he warned his nation to prepare for tougher times with the international community. “We cannot give in to anything that could enter our houses and try to humiliate us from the inside or play with our national stability,” said Assad.”…This country is protected by its people, by its state and above all, as the popular saying has it, ‘Syria is protected by God.’”
Assad seems to have pushed Syria into a tight corner by balking at complete cooperation with the United Nations’ lead investigator, Detlev Mehlis, regarding Syria’s complicity in the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri’s murder. He has characterized the UN’s investigation into the February l4th assassination of Hariri as part of a United States attack on Syria.
Several well-placed members of the U.S. intelligence community report to IIMCR that members of the Syrian intelligence apparatus were definitely involved in orchestrating the assassination of Mr. Hariri. U.S. and Israeli intelligence authorities have hard evidence of Syrian officials discussing plans of Hariri’s death. But neither U.S., nor Israeli intelligence officials, warned Hariri directly. That responsibility was left to French President Jacques Chirac, a close confidant of Hariri. It is also known that Hariri was actively involved in the year before his death in attempting to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria. And yet others suggest the evidence the United Nations has on the Hariri investigation is not an open and shut case.
What is clear, however, is that one of Assad’s primary supporter, Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak is believed to be exhausted in helping the Syrian leader extract himself from daily crises.
Syria’s 40-year-old leader, a former eye doctor who spent a year training at a St Mary’s Hospital unit in London, is believed to be in way over his head. Not equipped to run a country to which he ascended to power in June of 2000, Assad is no longer being given the benefit of the doubt. He continues to frustrate his own aides on almost a daily basis.
But can Assad save himself with the West if he were to do more to try to block the flow of Arab volunteers going to join the Iraqi insurgency? Very few are willing to take such a bet today.
President Bush May Soon Order Aerial Attacks on Insurgent Military Bases Inside SyriaBy Washington---Within the past several weeks, President Bush has come within hours of ordering U.S. military forces to conduct aerial bombing raids against insurgent training camps inside Syrian territory that are being used by foreign fighters as a staging ground in which to enter Iraq and kill American soldiers. But Secretary of State, Condeleeza Rice and representatives from the Central Intelligence Agency have until now prevailed in convincing President Bush that Syrian President Bashar Assad can be reasoned with, according to high ranking officials within the Bush administration.
Heretofore Secretary of State Rice and the CIA have advocated patience in dealing with the Syrian leader on two accounts. For one, following September ll, 2001 Syrian officials, particularly its chief of military intelligence, Asef Shawkat, Assad’s brother-in-law, now a key suspect in the death of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, worked closely with U.S. counter-terrorism agencies. Secondly, CIA officials have told the White House that a U.S. military attack inside Syria may destabilize the Assad government and there is no guarantee that a worse government, possibly an Islamist fundamentalist one, might replace it. Israeli intelligence officials have also expressed similar concerns to their Western counterparts.
White House insiders, however, report the reservoir of patience for Syria is all but evaporating by the hour. One official known to be strongly advocating a strike against Syria is President Bush’s national intelligence director, John Negroponte.
In recent months, President Assad has been shown unmistakable evidence by representatives of the U.S. government of insurgent military training camps that are being operated inside Syrian territory. Assad has reviewed such information and repeatedly promised to do something about it. But to date he has done little or nothing to quell the insurgent attacks, most of which are comprised by Saudi nationals.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We do not have the least doubt that nine out of l0 of the suicide bombers who carry out suicide bombing operations among Iraqi citizens…are Arabs who have crossed the border with Syria,” Iraqi national security adviser, Mowaffak Rubaie, told journalists in Cairo last weekend.
In an exercise of pan-Arab solidarity, Syria’s President Assad expressed hope back in 2003 that Americans would lose the war in Iraq , which rankled feathers with Washington.
“The problem with any U.S. aerial strike inside Syria is that we are not a thousand percent sure where all of these camps are located,” explains one U.S. intelligence official. “But any such attack would surely bolster President Bush’s sagging popularity in the short term.”
Acting as if he knows what is coming, Syrian President Bashar Assad delivered a highly confrontational speech last Thursday at Damascus University in which he warned his nation to prepare for tougher times with the international community. “We cannot give in to anything that could enter our houses and try to humiliate us from the inside or play with our national stability,” said Assad.”…This country is protected by its people, by its state and above all, as the popular saying has it, ‘Syria is protected by God.’”
Assad seems to have pushed Syria into a tight corner by balking at complete cooperation with the United Nations’ lead investigator, Detlev Mehlis, regarding Syria’s complicity in the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri’s murder. He has characterized the UN’s investigation into the February l4th assassination of Hariri as part of a United States attack on Syria.
Several well-placed members of the U.S. intelligence community report to IIMCR that members of the Syrian intelligence apparatus were definitely involved in orchestrating the assassination of Mr. Hariri. U.S. and Israeli intelligence authorities have hard evidence of Syrian officials discussing plans of Hariri’s death. But neither U.S., nor Israeli intelligence officials, warned Hariri directly. That responsibility was left to French President Jacques Chirac, a close confidant of Hariri. It is also known that Hariri was actively involved in the year before his death in attempting to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria. And yet others suggest the evidence the United Nations has on the Hariri investigation is not an open and shut case.
What is clear, however, is that one of Assad’s primary supporter, Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak is believed to be exhausted in helping the Syrian leader extract himself from daily crises.
Syria’s 40-year-old leader, a former eye doctor who spent a year training at a St Mary’s Hospital unit in London, is believed to be in way over his head. Not equipped to run a country to which he ascended to power in June of 2000, Assad is no longer being given the benefit of the doubt. He continues to frustrate his own aides on almost a daily basis.
But can Assad save himself with the West if he were to do more to try to block the flow of Arab volunteers going to join the Iraqi insurgency? Very few are willing to take such a bet today.
Lebanese denounce Assad's disrespectful speech
By Ya Libnan
Beirut - The Syrian President delivered a speech at the University of Damascus in which he attacked Lebanon and its leadership. The speech was denounced by most Lebanese; some even called it "a declaration of war on Lebanon."
Fouad Siniora, Lebanon's prime minister, on Friday shrugged off the scathing comments by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad who called the Lebanese politician "slave of a slave" during his speech on Thursday, a reference to his ties to Saad Hariri (son of former PM Rafik Hariri) and to the Hariri Family relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and President Chirac of France.
A very calm and mature Siniora said he would "let these words pass" but added that ties between the two countries had to be based on mutual respect. Many people came out of their offices in the heart of Beirut to cheer Siniora as he arrived to attend Friday prayers at a local mosque.
Lebanese newspapers reacted strongly to Assad's speech that harshly criticized Lebanon's government and parliament. Almost all the Lebanese newspapers reprinted the speech in full and published lengthy commentaries mostly denouncing Assad's harsh language.
An-Nahar newspaper and Ya Libnan called Assad's address "a declaration of war against Lebanon."
L'Orient-Le Jour, the French-language paper, wrote that Assad was seeking to provoke strife in Lebanon.
During his speech Assad claimed that Lebanon had become a "passageway, a factory and a financier" of conspiracies against Syria, in effect accusing Beirut of siding with the West against it.
He accused Lebanese politicians of being "blood merchants" exploiting the blood of the assassinated politicians to make political gains.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said insults to the Prime Minister of Lebanon are unacceptable, especially when they come from the outside. He praised Siniora and assured him of his complete and continued support.
Presidential aspirant Butros Harb also took Assad to task for charging that Lebanon had turned into a haven of conspiracies against Syria since it withdrew its army last April. "He knows before anyone else that Lebanon is absolutely incapable of threatening Syria's security. It is the other way around," Harb said.
Saad Hariri's bloc in parliament has also rejected Assad's abuse after a meeting it held at Koreitem Saturday evening. The 38-strong bloc, which is the biggest in Lebanon's 128-seat parliament, renewed in a statement after the meeting its unequivocal confidence in PM Siniora's honesty and statesmanship and Arab patriotism.
It backed anew Saad Hariri's declaration that Rafik Hariri's blood would never be in any political compromise or bargaining, reasserting the determination and that of the Hariri family to bring the assassins to justice at all costs.
"We also reject attempts to intimidate and cast doubt about the UN investigation commission. Rafik Hariri has been a shining icon as a ruler and no one will be allowed to absolve his killers from guilt and from punishment," the statement said.
MP Walid Jumblatt said "This [language and criticism] is unbecoming of the president of Syria. PM Siniora is a statesman who protected the Taif Accord and is one of Rafik Hariri's political heirs," added the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party whose bloc in Parliament is aligned with the Future Tide bloc.
"It is our right, Saad Hariri and I, to get to the truth of Rafik Hariri's murder and it is our right to call on the Syrian regime to cooperate with the international investigation," Jumblatt said.
Jumblatt called for calm and unity, hinting that Assad's speech could divide the Lebanese and could have far reaching effect on the stability in Lebanon.
Assad's disrespect to Lebanon
Assad continued to question Lebanon's patriotism and its Arab Affiliation. He also continues to accuse Lebanon of its intent to sign a peace agreement with Israel.Assad seemed to forget very quickly that Lebanon is the only Arab country that was able to force Israel to pull out from its occupied territories. Lebanon has set an example to all the Arabs in liberating their land. Lebanon therefore does not need any blood tests to prove its Arab nationality nor its patriotism. No country in the Arab world paid a higher price for its patriotism and support for the Arab cause than Lebanon did and we will continue to be proud Arabs.
Assad therefore should show much more respect to Lebanon. He has a lot to learn from Lebanon and the Lebanese. A relationship built on mutual respect will benefit both countries ... We both need each other, but should behave as friends and not brothers.
Mehlis report
Relations between Syria and Lebanon have been tense since the murder in February of Hariri, Lebanon's former prime minister. The killing was blamed on Syria, and while it maintained its innocence, Damascus ended its 29-year military presence in Lebanon in April due to the popular uprising (the Cedar Revolution) and international pressure.
Last month a UN probe determined that there was "converging evidence" pointing to the involvement of Syria and its Lebanese allies in the plot.
Detlev Mehlis, the chief UN investigator, is seeking to interview six Syrian officials including Assef Shawkat, president Assad's brother-in-law and head of military intelligence.
By Ya Libnan
Beirut - The Syrian President delivered a speech at the University of Damascus in which he attacked Lebanon and its leadership. The speech was denounced by most Lebanese; some even called it "a declaration of war on Lebanon."
Fouad Siniora, Lebanon's prime minister, on Friday shrugged off the scathing comments by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad who called the Lebanese politician "slave of a slave" during his speech on Thursday, a reference to his ties to Saad Hariri (son of former PM Rafik Hariri) and to the Hariri Family relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and President Chirac of France.
A very calm and mature Siniora said he would "let these words pass" but added that ties between the two countries had to be based on mutual respect. Many people came out of their offices in the heart of Beirut to cheer Siniora as he arrived to attend Friday prayers at a local mosque.
Lebanese newspapers reacted strongly to Assad's speech that harshly criticized Lebanon's government and parliament. Almost all the Lebanese newspapers reprinted the speech in full and published lengthy commentaries mostly denouncing Assad's harsh language.
An-Nahar newspaper and Ya Libnan called Assad's address "a declaration of war against Lebanon."
L'Orient-Le Jour, the French-language paper, wrote that Assad was seeking to provoke strife in Lebanon.
During his speech Assad claimed that Lebanon had become a "passageway, a factory and a financier" of conspiracies against Syria, in effect accusing Beirut of siding with the West against it.
He accused Lebanese politicians of being "blood merchants" exploiting the blood of the assassinated politicians to make political gains.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said insults to the Prime Minister of Lebanon are unacceptable, especially when they come from the outside. He praised Siniora and assured him of his complete and continued support.
Presidential aspirant Butros Harb also took Assad to task for charging that Lebanon had turned into a haven of conspiracies against Syria since it withdrew its army last April. "He knows before anyone else that Lebanon is absolutely incapable of threatening Syria's security. It is the other way around," Harb said.
Saad Hariri's bloc in parliament has also rejected Assad's abuse after a meeting it held at Koreitem Saturday evening. The 38-strong bloc, which is the biggest in Lebanon's 128-seat parliament, renewed in a statement after the meeting its unequivocal confidence in PM Siniora's honesty and statesmanship and Arab patriotism.
It backed anew Saad Hariri's declaration that Rafik Hariri's blood would never be in any political compromise or bargaining, reasserting the determination and that of the Hariri family to bring the assassins to justice at all costs.
"We also reject attempts to intimidate and cast doubt about the UN investigation commission. Rafik Hariri has been a shining icon as a ruler and no one will be allowed to absolve his killers from guilt and from punishment," the statement said.
MP Walid Jumblatt said "This [language and criticism] is unbecoming of the president of Syria. PM Siniora is a statesman who protected the Taif Accord and is one of Rafik Hariri's political heirs," added the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party whose bloc in Parliament is aligned with the Future Tide bloc.
"It is our right, Saad Hariri and I, to get to the truth of Rafik Hariri's murder and it is our right to call on the Syrian regime to cooperate with the international investigation," Jumblatt said.
Jumblatt called for calm and unity, hinting that Assad's speech could divide the Lebanese and could have far reaching effect on the stability in Lebanon.
Assad's disrespect to Lebanon
Assad continued to question Lebanon's patriotism and its Arab Affiliation. He also continues to accuse Lebanon of its intent to sign a peace agreement with Israel.Assad seemed to forget very quickly that Lebanon is the only Arab country that was able to force Israel to pull out from its occupied territories. Lebanon has set an example to all the Arabs in liberating their land. Lebanon therefore does not need any blood tests to prove its Arab nationality nor its patriotism. No country in the Arab world paid a higher price for its patriotism and support for the Arab cause than Lebanon did and we will continue to be proud Arabs.
Assad therefore should show much more respect to Lebanon. He has a lot to learn from Lebanon and the Lebanese. A relationship built on mutual respect will benefit both countries ... We both need each other, but should behave as friends and not brothers.
Mehlis report
Relations between Syria and Lebanon have been tense since the murder in February of Hariri, Lebanon's former prime minister. The killing was blamed on Syria, and while it maintained its innocence, Damascus ended its 29-year military presence in Lebanon in April due to the popular uprising (the Cedar Revolution) and international pressure.
Last month a UN probe determined that there was "converging evidence" pointing to the involvement of Syria and its Lebanese allies in the plot.
Detlev Mehlis, the chief UN investigator, is seeking to interview six Syrian officials including Assef Shawkat, president Assad's brother-in-law and head of military intelligence.
12 Bodies Uncovered From Yarze Mass Grave
The Lebanese army has dug out 12 bodies from the Defense ministry compound in Yarze of victims killed during the Syrian military offensive that flushed out Gen. Aoun from the Baabda palace on Oct. 13, 1990 and sent him to a 14-year banishment in France, the Beirut media reported on Saturday.
Eleven of the 12 were in military uniform, an indication they were from the army that was loyal to Aoun during his reign as interim prime minister of Lebanon from 1988 until October of 1990, when his war of liberation against the Syrians was crushed on the battlefield. The 12th body was charred beyond recognition and may have belonged to a Christian monk, the media said, noting that army troops, Red Cross volunteers and forensic experts took part in the digging operation.An Nahar said samples of the corpses would be taken to Hotel Dieu hospital for DNA tests while the digging operation would be carried out though Saturday for more possible bodies. The case of the missing soldiers was raised by An Nahar last Oct. 13 and legislator Gebran Tueni had tabled a questionnaire to the government before parliament about the long pending affair.
The Lebanese army has dug out 12 bodies from the Defense ministry compound in Yarze of victims killed during the Syrian military offensive that flushed out Gen. Aoun from the Baabda palace on Oct. 13, 1990 and sent him to a 14-year banishment in France, the Beirut media reported on Saturday.
Eleven of the 12 were in military uniform, an indication they were from the army that was loyal to Aoun during his reign as interim prime minister of Lebanon from 1988 until October of 1990, when his war of liberation against the Syrians was crushed on the battlefield. The 12th body was charred beyond recognition and may have belonged to a Christian monk, the media said, noting that army troops, Red Cross volunteers and forensic experts took part in the digging operation.An Nahar said samples of the corpses would be taken to Hotel Dieu hospital for DNA tests while the digging operation would be carried out though Saturday for more possible bodies. The case of the missing soldiers was raised by An Nahar last Oct. 13 and legislator Gebran Tueni had tabled a questionnaire to the government before parliament about the long pending affair.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Loose CanonsThe CIA Disinformation Campaign
By Jed Babbin
The CIA's disinformation campaign against President Bush -- headlined in the Wilson/Plame affair -- is more jujitsu than karate. Instead of applying your own force to defeat your opponent, you turn his energy and momentum against him and bring him down. The CIA, as much or more than the State Department, didn't support President Bush's decision to invade Iraq. And to discredit that decision, it appears the CIA first chose an unspeakably unqualified political activist for a sham intelligence mission, structured it so that the results would be utterly public, and then -- when the activist resumed his publicity-hound activity -- demanded and achieved a high-profile criminal investigation into White House activities that resulted, so far, in the indictment of the Vice President's chief of staff. It's time for the Justice Department -- or, better yet, for the Senate Intelligence Committee -- to investigate the Wilson/Plame sham. Not only was the Wilson mission to Niger a sham, but the CIA's demand for an investigation of Robert Novak's outing of Valerie Plame may itself have been a criminal act.
Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely (USA, ret.) is one of Fox's senior military analysts. Gen. Vallely confirmed to me that nearly a year before Robert Novak's July 2003 column revealed Valerie Plame as a CIA employee, former Clinton Ambassador Joe Wilson told Vallely and his wife, Muffin, that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. This revelation, published last week on John Batchelor's ABC talk show (and repeated Monday night on John's show), blew more holes into Joe Wilson's tattered credibility and raises important questions about the CIA's actions. (Fox's Judge Andrew Napolitano had said on the air that a FNC colleague had told him of Plame's CIA employment; Vallely didn't recall being Napolitano's source.)
Wilson's reactions to Vallely's assertion bespeak panic and meltdown. After Vallely's assertion on the Batchelor show (subsequently republished on World Net Daily), Wilson's lawyer both called and e-mailed Vallely threatening legal action if he didn't withdraw the assertion. The e-mail, which Vallely sent me, included Wilson's e-mail to his lawyer. Wilson, in a message to his lawyer dated November 5 at 5:11 p.m., said, "This is slanderous. I never appeared on tv before at least July 2002 and only saw him maybe twice in the green room at Fox. Vallely is a retired general and this is a bald faced lie. Can we sue? This is not he said/he said, since I never laid eyes on him till several months after he alleges I spoke to him about my wife. Joe." But the threat of legal action against Vallely isn't serious. Neither Wilson nor Plame want to testify in open court under oath.
There are just too many anomalies in the Wilson mission to Niger to believe that anyone who wasn't planning to bash the president could possibly have chosen Wilson for the task. He had no expertise in WMD, hadn't been in Niger since the 1980s, and had no intelligence training. One of the most revealing aspects of Wilson's mission, relevant to showing it was part of a disinformation campaign, was that he wasn't required to sign a CIA secrecy agreement before taking on the mission. In plainest terms, that meant his CIA bosses wanted him to go public on his return. And he did. The other point that proves Wilson's mission was anything but serious is that, in Wilson's own words, he told everyone he met that he was an agent of the U.S. government.
In his July 6, 2003 NYT op-ed, Wilson said, "The mission I undertook was discreet but by no means secret. While the CIA paid my expenses (my time was offered pro bono), I made it abundantly clear to everyone I met that I was acting on behalf of the United States government." You tell everyone you're speaking to that you're in the government's employ so they can feed you whatever line of baloney they want the U.S. government to hear? Wilson's "mission," in short, was a pathetic joke and not an intelligence mission by any definition. The CIA knew this. Who in the CIA authorized, paid for and managed this mission? Why did they do it? There's no plausible explanation other than the intent to embarrass and discredit the Bush administration.
A source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Valerie Plame -- who suggested her husband for the Niger mission -- was too low on the CIA totem pole to have approved and paid for the mission. The source also told me that Judith ("Jami") Miscik, then the CIA"s deputy director for intelligence, was the person who signed off on the Wilson mission. Plame's WINPAC directorate was under Miscik in the chain of command. Miscik was fired by new CIA director Porter Goss late last year during Goss's housecleaning in which Deputy Director John E. McLauglin resigned and Deputy Director of Operations James Pavitt retired.
The CIA, through one of its spokesmen, declined to comment on whether it was Miscik or someone else because of pending legal proceedings. And, in context with other information, it appears that Miscik would not likely have been the one. Logically the person who approved the Wilson mission would have had to be some senior person in the Operations Directorate, possibly the now-retired Pavitt.
Regardless of who started the mission, the CIA responded to the Novak column by sending a classified criminal referral -- the allegation of criminal conduct requesting a formal investigation -- to the Justice Department. When it did so, it had to have known that Plame's status was not covert (as defined in the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982) and probably knew â?? it is an intelligence organization, after all â?? that Wilson had blabbed his wife's identity around town. Why, then, was the criminal referral made? Who approved it? Such actions had to be approved at least by the CIA general counsel and probably by CIA Director Tenet or at least his deputy, McLauglin. Why did they do that knowing what they must have known?
The December 30, 2003 letter from Deputy Attorney General Paul Comey appointing Patrick Fitzgerald special prosecutor, says, in part: "â?¦I hereby delegate to you all the authority of the Attorney General with respect to the Department's investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a CIA employee's identityâ?¦" What was the allegation? If it were made falsely -- say with the knowledge that Plame's identity wasn't covert or had become public -- the person who made the referral may have committed a serious crime.
The whole Wilson/Plame affair stinks to high heaven. And the smell is coming from Langley. Porter Goss should receive credit for working hard to fix the CIA. The Wilson affair isn't his problem, it's ours. Right now, the CIA's disinformation campaign has cost Scooter Libby his future, threatens other White House staffers and -- most importantly -- burdens the credibility of the president in time of war. It affects our standing in the world, our relationship with our allies, and our strength in the eyes of our enemies. In short, this damned thing needs to be unraveled, publicly, and right bloody now.
The American people need this matter investigated forthwith, and not -- God help us -- by yet another special counsel. The Senate Intelligence Committee should, immediately, investigate and cause the following questions to be answered publicly as soon as possible:
What precisely does the CIA criminal referral that started the Fitzgerald investigation say? It should be declassified and published;
Who approved the criminal referral and why?
Was Pavitt the person who approved the Wilson mission? Who else approved the mission and how it was to be performed?
Why did they choose Wilson instead of someone qualified?
Why wasn't Wilson required to sign a confidentiality agreement?
Were his various op-eds vetted at CIA?
Who else, beside Vallely and his wife, knew Plame was a CIA employee, when did they know it and from whom?
Who was Bob Novak's source? Was it Wilson? Pavitt? Someone else at CIA?There are hundreds of other questions that should be answered publicly. Let's get ol' Joe in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, under oath and with the television cameras on. Let's see if he does as well as George Galloway did in front of Norm Coleman's Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. I have no doubt he'll fail to rise to even that standard.TAS contributing editor Jed Babbin is the author of Inside the Asylum: Why the UN and Old Europe Are Worse Than You Think (Regnery, 2004).
By Jed Babbin
The CIA's disinformation campaign against President Bush -- headlined in the Wilson/Plame affair -- is more jujitsu than karate. Instead of applying your own force to defeat your opponent, you turn his energy and momentum against him and bring him down. The CIA, as much or more than the State Department, didn't support President Bush's decision to invade Iraq. And to discredit that decision, it appears the CIA first chose an unspeakably unqualified political activist for a sham intelligence mission, structured it so that the results would be utterly public, and then -- when the activist resumed his publicity-hound activity -- demanded and achieved a high-profile criminal investigation into White House activities that resulted, so far, in the indictment of the Vice President's chief of staff. It's time for the Justice Department -- or, better yet, for the Senate Intelligence Committee -- to investigate the Wilson/Plame sham. Not only was the Wilson mission to Niger a sham, but the CIA's demand for an investigation of Robert Novak's outing of Valerie Plame may itself have been a criminal act.
Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely (USA, ret.) is one of Fox's senior military analysts. Gen. Vallely confirmed to me that nearly a year before Robert Novak's July 2003 column revealed Valerie Plame as a CIA employee, former Clinton Ambassador Joe Wilson told Vallely and his wife, Muffin, that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. This revelation, published last week on John Batchelor's ABC talk show (and repeated Monday night on John's show), blew more holes into Joe Wilson's tattered credibility and raises important questions about the CIA's actions. (Fox's Judge Andrew Napolitano had said on the air that a FNC colleague had told him of Plame's CIA employment; Vallely didn't recall being Napolitano's source.)
Wilson's reactions to Vallely's assertion bespeak panic and meltdown. After Vallely's assertion on the Batchelor show (subsequently republished on World Net Daily), Wilson's lawyer both called and e-mailed Vallely threatening legal action if he didn't withdraw the assertion. The e-mail, which Vallely sent me, included Wilson's e-mail to his lawyer. Wilson, in a message to his lawyer dated November 5 at 5:11 p.m., said, "This is slanderous. I never appeared on tv before at least July 2002 and only saw him maybe twice in the green room at Fox. Vallely is a retired general and this is a bald faced lie. Can we sue? This is not he said/he said, since I never laid eyes on him till several months after he alleges I spoke to him about my wife. Joe." But the threat of legal action against Vallely isn't serious. Neither Wilson nor Plame want to testify in open court under oath.
There are just too many anomalies in the Wilson mission to Niger to believe that anyone who wasn't planning to bash the president could possibly have chosen Wilson for the task. He had no expertise in WMD, hadn't been in Niger since the 1980s, and had no intelligence training. One of the most revealing aspects of Wilson's mission, relevant to showing it was part of a disinformation campaign, was that he wasn't required to sign a CIA secrecy agreement before taking on the mission. In plainest terms, that meant his CIA bosses wanted him to go public on his return. And he did. The other point that proves Wilson's mission was anything but serious is that, in Wilson's own words, he told everyone he met that he was an agent of the U.S. government.
In his July 6, 2003 NYT op-ed, Wilson said, "The mission I undertook was discreet but by no means secret. While the CIA paid my expenses (my time was offered pro bono), I made it abundantly clear to everyone I met that I was acting on behalf of the United States government." You tell everyone you're speaking to that you're in the government's employ so they can feed you whatever line of baloney they want the U.S. government to hear? Wilson's "mission," in short, was a pathetic joke and not an intelligence mission by any definition. The CIA knew this. Who in the CIA authorized, paid for and managed this mission? Why did they do it? There's no plausible explanation other than the intent to embarrass and discredit the Bush administration.
A source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Valerie Plame -- who suggested her husband for the Niger mission -- was too low on the CIA totem pole to have approved and paid for the mission. The source also told me that Judith ("Jami") Miscik, then the CIA"s deputy director for intelligence, was the person who signed off on the Wilson mission. Plame's WINPAC directorate was under Miscik in the chain of command. Miscik was fired by new CIA director Porter Goss late last year during Goss's housecleaning in which Deputy Director John E. McLauglin resigned and Deputy Director of Operations James Pavitt retired.
The CIA, through one of its spokesmen, declined to comment on whether it was Miscik or someone else because of pending legal proceedings. And, in context with other information, it appears that Miscik would not likely have been the one. Logically the person who approved the Wilson mission would have had to be some senior person in the Operations Directorate, possibly the now-retired Pavitt.
Regardless of who started the mission, the CIA responded to the Novak column by sending a classified criminal referral -- the allegation of criminal conduct requesting a formal investigation -- to the Justice Department. When it did so, it had to have known that Plame's status was not covert (as defined in the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982) and probably knew â?? it is an intelligence organization, after all â?? that Wilson had blabbed his wife's identity around town. Why, then, was the criminal referral made? Who approved it? Such actions had to be approved at least by the CIA general counsel and probably by CIA Director Tenet or at least his deputy, McLauglin. Why did they do that knowing what they must have known?
The December 30, 2003 letter from Deputy Attorney General Paul Comey appointing Patrick Fitzgerald special prosecutor, says, in part: "â?¦I hereby delegate to you all the authority of the Attorney General with respect to the Department's investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a CIA employee's identityâ?¦" What was the allegation? If it were made falsely -- say with the knowledge that Plame's identity wasn't covert or had become public -- the person who made the referral may have committed a serious crime.
The whole Wilson/Plame affair stinks to high heaven. And the smell is coming from Langley. Porter Goss should receive credit for working hard to fix the CIA. The Wilson affair isn't his problem, it's ours. Right now, the CIA's disinformation campaign has cost Scooter Libby his future, threatens other White House staffers and -- most importantly -- burdens the credibility of the president in time of war. It affects our standing in the world, our relationship with our allies, and our strength in the eyes of our enemies. In short, this damned thing needs to be unraveled, publicly, and right bloody now.
The American people need this matter investigated forthwith, and not -- God help us -- by yet another special counsel. The Senate Intelligence Committee should, immediately, investigate and cause the following questions to be answered publicly as soon as possible:
What precisely does the CIA criminal referral that started the Fitzgerald investigation say? It should be declassified and published;
Who approved the criminal referral and why?
Was Pavitt the person who approved the Wilson mission? Who else approved the mission and how it was to be performed?
Why did they choose Wilson instead of someone qualified?
Why wasn't Wilson required to sign a confidentiality agreement?
Were his various op-eds vetted at CIA?
Who else, beside Vallely and his wife, knew Plame was a CIA employee, when did they know it and from whom?
Who was Bob Novak's source? Was it Wilson? Pavitt? Someone else at CIA?There are hundreds of other questions that should be answered publicly. Let's get ol' Joe in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, under oath and with the television cameras on. Let's see if he does as well as George Galloway did in front of Norm Coleman's Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. I have no doubt he'll fail to rise to even that standard.TAS contributing editor Jed Babbin is the author of Inside the Asylum: Why the UN and Old Europe Are Worse Than You Think (Regnery, 2004).
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Time To Release Milosevic
By Nagi N. Najjar
Milosevic has over served his time in the Hague.
President Chirac should acknowledge the unfair circumstances placing Milosevic in prison, as the same underlying circumstances are now forcing France to battle internal, Islamic insurgents. In addition, he should acknowledge the responsibility of former Secretary of State Madelain Albright and President Clinton for supporting radical Islam in Europe.
Between the reality of defining the substance of terror and striking the head of the snake in terrorism, Washington is busy engrossed in political warfare: the Democrats are busy attacking President Bush for the unlocated WMD's in Syria and initiating Iraq's war under false justifications.
All have turned their attention away from a global Islamic threat and are involved with the fever of the US elections rapidly approaching.
The first thing US politics lost in this war is truth. Washington instead of focusing on substance, is focusing on internal politics. Washington will not win this war with this ethos.
Fundamentalist Islam is looking for "Peace" all over the world.
From children slaughtered in Russia schools, to Serbs being murdered by Muslims in Bosnians, to the Christian Lebanese vanishing from the map, to the bombings of innocents in Israel, to the massacres of Darfur, to 9/11 in Washington and New York, to the bombings of London, and now the turn of Paris has come.
What did "ethnic cleansing" mean for Washington? To punish everyone who doesn't have a bank account in Washington: Neither Lebanon nor Serbia had the funds that Saudi Arabia had to "lobby" Washington and protect the institutions of a "peaceful" Islam in the world.
Genocide is meaningless to a sleeping West, but a political product to indict the Christian communities defending themselves against an active Islam.
2 million Serbs were expelled from Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo, and 240 of their churches were destroyed, 200,000 Christian Lebanese perished in the Lebanese war, churches and Christian villages were completely destroyed over one million flew Lebanon for fear they had no future in their country. The West was SILENT, busy defending Islamic atrocities because Islamic oil money is blind to all morality as well as to its owners and recipients.
When this happens to anyone else, it's called ethnic cleansing and cultural genocide, yet with Islamic money dictating justice, all the world sees is Serb President Slobodan Milosevic sitting in a court room in the Hague.
Enough, release this brave courageous man that had the guts to face Serbia's destiny when the whole world was against him.
Release him as the West has no justification for keeping him there. The West can hold him accountable in History for slaughtering hundreds of Muslims at a time the Muslims are slaughtering thousands all over the world. The Free World has become a killing field with "modern" Islam and American politics.
As the war in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kashmir, Israel, and Southern Lebanon continues, America is busy spreading an ill born Democracy for these hot spots of the third world, where Western culture clashes with the reality of Islam on the ground.
The Third world does not need Democracy, it need the result of military deterrence.
America can drop tons of explosives and fail with this unthinking attitude. Washington need to define its strategies, apply military deterrence, and free Serbia's hand in the Balkan, free the Christian hands in adjusting Lebanon's political power, free Israel's hand against Syria and Iran terror instruments: Hezbollah and Hamas. No instead, they want to include Hamas and Hezbollah in the new US " Democracy".
Slobodan Milosevic has been charged with complicity to commit genocide and crimes against humanity. Is Iran's President Ahmednijad going to get the Nobel Prize for calling for the destruction of Israel?
The former Yugoslav president is a thug whose brutality played into the terrorists' hands, yet Hamas and Hezbollah should be included in the political considerations for an imaginary solution presented by Paris and Washington in the Middle East ????
Its consequences? London Yesterday, Paris today and whole Europe tomorrow .........
The tragedy has its roots in the early 1990s, when the West decided Bosnians and Croatians were entitled to their own states, the tragedy has its roots when the Syrian Occupation of Lebanon has been replaced by a Saudi Hegemony and take over of Lebanon's political institutions, with the silence and tactical approval of the West. The tragedy has its roots in the West pressuring Israel for territorial concessions against a lovely, "peaceful" Islam who strikes with no mercy.
The West will not learn from William Jefferson Clinton and his Secretary of State Albright that surrendering Southern Lebanon to Hezbollah, surrendering Serbia to Osama Bin Laden Brigades in the Balkans, and finally the Bush Administration surrendering Gaza to Hamas, adds to an extension of Iran's terror in the region. Did anyone say, "Peace" somewhere?
It is time to react and say NO to Washington's illusionist policies, else not only Washington will lose Iraq, it will lose the whole world.
The Kosovo "Qaida fighters" should be destroyed by the Serbs. Terrorism in Lebanon should be crushed by the Christians of Lebanon. Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad should be wiped off the map along with their sponsor terrorist states. Afghanistan and Iraq are only the beginning not the end .
Americans must understand the realities and concepts as to why US troops are battling in the Middle East, however, America should rectify its mistakes against Serbia, Lebanon, and Israel.
Otherwise, It should expect France after Albania to become Europe's Fourth Islamic republic along with a lost Middle East.
By Nagi N. Najjar
Milosevic has over served his time in the Hague.
President Chirac should acknowledge the unfair circumstances placing Milosevic in prison, as the same underlying circumstances are now forcing France to battle internal, Islamic insurgents. In addition, he should acknowledge the responsibility of former Secretary of State Madelain Albright and President Clinton for supporting radical Islam in Europe.
Between the reality of defining the substance of terror and striking the head of the snake in terrorism, Washington is busy engrossed in political warfare: the Democrats are busy attacking President Bush for the unlocated WMD's in Syria and initiating Iraq's war under false justifications.
All have turned their attention away from a global Islamic threat and are involved with the fever of the US elections rapidly approaching.
The first thing US politics lost in this war is truth. Washington instead of focusing on substance, is focusing on internal politics. Washington will not win this war with this ethos.
Fundamentalist Islam is looking for "Peace" all over the world.
From children slaughtered in Russia schools, to Serbs being murdered by Muslims in Bosnians, to the Christian Lebanese vanishing from the map, to the bombings of innocents in Israel, to the massacres of Darfur, to 9/11 in Washington and New York, to the bombings of London, and now the turn of Paris has come.
What did "ethnic cleansing" mean for Washington? To punish everyone who doesn't have a bank account in Washington: Neither Lebanon nor Serbia had the funds that Saudi Arabia had to "lobby" Washington and protect the institutions of a "peaceful" Islam in the world.
Genocide is meaningless to a sleeping West, but a political product to indict the Christian communities defending themselves against an active Islam.
2 million Serbs were expelled from Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo, and 240 of their churches were destroyed, 200,000 Christian Lebanese perished in the Lebanese war, churches and Christian villages were completely destroyed over one million flew Lebanon for fear they had no future in their country. The West was SILENT, busy defending Islamic atrocities because Islamic oil money is blind to all morality as well as to its owners and recipients.
When this happens to anyone else, it's called ethnic cleansing and cultural genocide, yet with Islamic money dictating justice, all the world sees is Serb President Slobodan Milosevic sitting in a court room in the Hague.
Enough, release this brave courageous man that had the guts to face Serbia's destiny when the whole world was against him.
Release him as the West has no justification for keeping him there. The West can hold him accountable in History for slaughtering hundreds of Muslims at a time the Muslims are slaughtering thousands all over the world. The Free World has become a killing field with "modern" Islam and American politics.
As the war in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kashmir, Israel, and Southern Lebanon continues, America is busy spreading an ill born Democracy for these hot spots of the third world, where Western culture clashes with the reality of Islam on the ground.
The Third world does not need Democracy, it need the result of military deterrence.
America can drop tons of explosives and fail with this unthinking attitude. Washington need to define its strategies, apply military deterrence, and free Serbia's hand in the Balkan, free the Christian hands in adjusting Lebanon's political power, free Israel's hand against Syria and Iran terror instruments: Hezbollah and Hamas. No instead, they want to include Hamas and Hezbollah in the new US " Democracy".
Slobodan Milosevic has been charged with complicity to commit genocide and crimes against humanity. Is Iran's President Ahmednijad going to get the Nobel Prize for calling for the destruction of Israel?
The former Yugoslav president is a thug whose brutality played into the terrorists' hands, yet Hamas and Hezbollah should be included in the political considerations for an imaginary solution presented by Paris and Washington in the Middle East ????
Its consequences? London Yesterday, Paris today and whole Europe tomorrow .........
The tragedy has its roots in the early 1990s, when the West decided Bosnians and Croatians were entitled to their own states, the tragedy has its roots when the Syrian Occupation of Lebanon has been replaced by a Saudi Hegemony and take over of Lebanon's political institutions, with the silence and tactical approval of the West. The tragedy has its roots in the West pressuring Israel for territorial concessions against a lovely, "peaceful" Islam who strikes with no mercy.
The West will not learn from William Jefferson Clinton and his Secretary of State Albright that surrendering Southern Lebanon to Hezbollah, surrendering Serbia to Osama Bin Laden Brigades in the Balkans, and finally the Bush Administration surrendering Gaza to Hamas, adds to an extension of Iran's terror in the region. Did anyone say, "Peace" somewhere?
It is time to react and say NO to Washington's illusionist policies, else not only Washington will lose Iraq, it will lose the whole world.
The Kosovo "Qaida fighters" should be destroyed by the Serbs. Terrorism in Lebanon should be crushed by the Christians of Lebanon. Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad should be wiped off the map along with their sponsor terrorist states. Afghanistan and Iraq are only the beginning not the end .
Americans must understand the realities and concepts as to why US troops are battling in the Middle East, however, America should rectify its mistakes against Serbia, Lebanon, and Israel.
Otherwise, It should expect France after Albania to become Europe's Fourth Islamic republic along with a lost Middle East.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Syrian Military on High Alert in Latakia
Foreign intelligence sources have stated that brigades in the Syrian army are on alert in the district of Latakia on the Western shores of Syria.
They are preparing for a possible retaliation from the supporters of the dead interior minister Ghazi Kanaan.
The source has mentioned that at least two of the Allawi clans supportive to Kanaan are showing signs of dissatisfaction with the Syrian government.
The last time that a state of alert took effect was in 2000 immediately before the death of previous president Assad's death when Mahmoud Zouaby killed himself after being imprisoned on charges of corruption.
Another high military alert took place when a Syrian intelligence chief, Abnadel Kaim al Jundi, commited suicide in 1968.
Foreign intelligence sources have stated that brigades in the Syrian army are on alert in the district of Latakia on the Western shores of Syria.
They are preparing for a possible retaliation from the supporters of the dead interior minister Ghazi Kanaan.
The source has mentioned that at least two of the Allawi clans supportive to Kanaan are showing signs of dissatisfaction with the Syrian government.
The last time that a state of alert took effect was in 2000 immediately before the death of previous president Assad's death when Mahmoud Zouaby killed himself after being imprisoned on charges of corruption.
Another high military alert took place when a Syrian intelligence chief, Abnadel Kaim al Jundi, commited suicide in 1968.
Lebanese and Israeli Intelligence Tracked Kanaan
A European Security specialist has confirmed that two intelligence agencies were tracking Ghazi Kanaan for the last three months. The Security specialist based in Brussels confirmed that Lebanese and Israeli undercover officers were coordinating operations together for the first time since 1984.
It's believed that the Israeli and Lebanese agents are sharing intelligence with the CIA and MI6. Many believed that Ghazi Kanaan was going to replace Bashar Al Assad in a coup temporarily.
It was mentioned that Kanaan would maintain power until a new president and Parliament would be elected in democratic elections.
The European Security specialist ended by saying, "I can't reveal what the undercover officers found, but I can assure you that Kanaan didn't kill himself. Everybody is saying that he had the truth about Hariri's assassins. Well that's untrue, because Rustom Ghazali knows more than Kanaan. Ghazali should be arrested and put in solidarity confinement so no one can eliminate him from the picture."
A European Security specialist has confirmed that two intelligence agencies were tracking Ghazi Kanaan for the last three months. The Security specialist based in Brussels confirmed that Lebanese and Israeli undercover officers were coordinating operations together for the first time since 1984.
It's believed that the Israeli and Lebanese agents are sharing intelligence with the CIA and MI6. Many believed that Ghazi Kanaan was going to replace Bashar Al Assad in a coup temporarily.
It was mentioned that Kanaan would maintain power until a new president and Parliament would be elected in democratic elections.
The European Security specialist ended by saying, "I can't reveal what the undercover officers found, but I can assure you that Kanaan didn't kill himself. Everybody is saying that he had the truth about Hariri's assassins. Well that's untrue, because Rustom Ghazali knows more than Kanaan. Ghazali should be arrested and put in solidarity confinement so no one can eliminate him from the picture."
Intelligence Sources: Military Coup Imminent In Syria
Al Siyassah has learnt that various intelligence agencies in the middle east have confirmed that a military coup might be on the cards in Syria. Various intelligence agencies are believed to be working in Damascus at the moment.
Lebanese, Jordanian, Saudi and Israeli secret services operating in Syria have all confirmed that various Syrian Officials are meeting in secret locations to plan the elimination of Bashar Al Assad.
Events might happen fast after Detliv Mehlis asks for the extradition of top Syrian suspects. Bashar Al Assad will want to co-operate fully with the UN probe but main suspect Syrian General will not.
It’s rumoured that Maher Al Assad and Asif Shawkat have established a plan to gain power in Syria after Mehlis issues their arrest warrants.
Al Siyassah has learnt that various intelligence agencies in the middle east have confirmed that a military coup might be on the cards in Syria. Various intelligence agencies are believed to be working in Damascus at the moment.
Lebanese, Jordanian, Saudi and Israeli secret services operating in Syria have all confirmed that various Syrian Officials are meeting in secret locations to plan the elimination of Bashar Al Assad.
Events might happen fast after Detliv Mehlis asks for the extradition of top Syrian suspects. Bashar Al Assad will want to co-operate fully with the UN probe but main suspect Syrian General will not.
It’s rumoured that Maher Al Assad and Asif Shawkat have established a plan to gain power in Syria after Mehlis issues their arrest warrants.
Syrian Army Surrounding Syrian Military Outposts
As reported yesterday, Bashar Al Assad has ordered the Syrian Army to surround key Syrian military outposts that pose a threat to his presidency. Assad is seen to be afraid of being overthrown from power.
Witnesses in Syria have confirmed that the presence of Syrian Soldiers has increased throughout main cities. In addition to surrounding the houses of Maher Al Assad and Asif Shawkat, head of Presidential Guard and military intelligence respectively, Syrian Army units loyal to Bashar Al Assad have surrounded and cornered off houses of other top Syrian officials.
Houses surrounded are believed to belong to Bahjat Suleiman, Hassan Khalil, Rustom Ghazali and Gamea Gamea all top officials in the Syrian Regime.
In another dramatic turn, Syrian Authorities have started its own probe into the assassination of Rafiq Hariri. Judge Mrad confirmed in a press conference that the Syrian probe would fully support any request from the UN probe or Lebanese Authorities in Beirut.
Sources: Libnen & Al Siyassah
As reported yesterday, Bashar Al Assad has ordered the Syrian Army to surround key Syrian military outposts that pose a threat to his presidency. Assad is seen to be afraid of being overthrown from power.
Witnesses in Syria have confirmed that the presence of Syrian Soldiers has increased throughout main cities. In addition to surrounding the houses of Maher Al Assad and Asif Shawkat, head of Presidential Guard and military intelligence respectively, Syrian Army units loyal to Bashar Al Assad have surrounded and cornered off houses of other top Syrian officials.
Houses surrounded are believed to belong to Bahjat Suleiman, Hassan Khalil, Rustom Ghazali and Gamea Gamea all top officials in the Syrian Regime.
In another dramatic turn, Syrian Authorities have started its own probe into the assassination of Rafiq Hariri. Judge Mrad confirmed in a press conference that the Syrian probe would fully support any request from the UN probe or Lebanese Authorities in Beirut.
Sources: Libnen & Al Siyassah
Asef Shawkat: I'll Burn Damascus to Ashes then Commit Suicide
Syrian sources have confirmed to Al Siyassah, the Kuwaiti based newspaper, that Asef Shawkat has told Bashar Assad that he won't obey Mehlis' orders and go to Beirut for questioning in relation to the investigation into the assassination of Rafiq Hariri.
Asef Shawkat sent a letter to Bashar Al Assad mentioning, " Rustom Ghazali, Hassan Khalil, Bahjat Slueiman, Mohammed Khallouf and Gamea Gamea can all rot in Lebanese Jails. Maher Assad and I aren't going to Beirut for questioning."
In his lethal letter to Bashar Al Assad Shawkat continued, " I used to be one of the most powerful men in Beirut. It's impossible for me to be questioned by Mehlis or any Lebanese Judge. Me and Maher are ready to face anyone who dares to touch us."
Shawkat ends his letter by saying, "II would rather burn Damascus to Ashes and commit suicide than handing myself into Lebanese and UN authorities."
Al Siyassah also reveal that Bahjat Suleiman, former Syrian police chief, told family that if Bashar Al Assad hands him over to Lebanese authorities, then he will confess everything to Mehlis. Suleiman said, " I'll tell Mehlis, who planned and executed the assassination of Hariri."
on Saturday did suggest that Mehlis had summoned six top Syrian officials to be questioned in Beirut on Monday 7th of November.
Sources: Al Siyassah & Libnen
Syrian sources have confirmed to Al Siyassah, the Kuwaiti based newspaper, that Asef Shawkat has told Bashar Assad that he won't obey Mehlis' orders and go to Beirut for questioning in relation to the investigation into the assassination of Rafiq Hariri.
Asef Shawkat sent a letter to Bashar Al Assad mentioning, " Rustom Ghazali, Hassan Khalil, Bahjat Slueiman, Mohammed Khallouf and Gamea Gamea can all rot in Lebanese Jails. Maher Assad and I aren't going to Beirut for questioning."
In his lethal letter to Bashar Al Assad Shawkat continued, " I used to be one of the most powerful men in Beirut. It's impossible for me to be questioned by Mehlis or any Lebanese Judge. Me and Maher are ready to face anyone who dares to touch us."
Shawkat ends his letter by saying, "II would rather burn Damascus to Ashes and commit suicide than handing myself into Lebanese and UN authorities."
Al Siyassah also reveal that Bahjat Suleiman, former Syrian police chief, told family that if Bashar Al Assad hands him over to Lebanese authorities, then he will confess everything to Mehlis. Suleiman said, " I'll tell Mehlis, who planned and executed the assassination of Hariri."
on Saturday did suggest that Mehlis had summoned six top Syrian officials to be questioned in Beirut on Monday 7th of November.
Sources: Al Siyassah & Libnen
Bashar Being Blackmailed By Maher
Maher Assad and Asef Shawkat, the two main suspects into the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, are reported to have planted Syrian cities with bombs. Both Generals in the Syrian Regime have been resisting calls from Bashar Al Assad to cooperate with the UN probe.
It's believed that Bashar Al Assad is trying to push the two Generals into handing themselves in to the UN probe in Beirut. Witnesses in the Damascus have confirmed that Syrian soldiers have surrounded Asef Shawkat's and Maher Assad's houses.
In another dramatic development, Syrian soldiers have surrounded the Syrian Military Intelligence Headquarters and Presidential Guard Headquarters in Syria. This is seen as a measure to protect Bashar Al Assad from any revolt conducted by units headed by Maher Al Assad and Asef Shawkat which both are head of the presidential guard and military intelligence respectively.
Sources have confirmed that if Maher Al Assad or Asef Shawkat are handed to Lebanese authorities, a string of car bombs will hit Syrian cities throwing Syria into chaos.
It's rumoured that Detliv Mehlis will order the arrest of Syrian officials after the Ramadan festivities.
Maher Assad and Asef Shawkat, the two main suspects into the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, are reported to have planted Syrian cities with bombs. Both Generals in the Syrian Regime have been resisting calls from Bashar Al Assad to cooperate with the UN probe.
It's believed that Bashar Al Assad is trying to push the two Generals into handing themselves in to the UN probe in Beirut. Witnesses in the Damascus have confirmed that Syrian soldiers have surrounded Asef Shawkat's and Maher Assad's houses.
In another dramatic development, Syrian soldiers have surrounded the Syrian Military Intelligence Headquarters and Presidential Guard Headquarters in Syria. This is seen as a measure to protect Bashar Al Assad from any revolt conducted by units headed by Maher Al Assad and Asef Shawkat which both are head of the presidential guard and military intelligence respectively.
Sources have confirmed that if Maher Al Assad or Asef Shawkat are handed to Lebanese authorities, a string of car bombs will hit Syrian cities throwing Syria into chaos.
It's rumoured that Detliv Mehlis will order the arrest of Syrian officials after the Ramadan festivities.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Should Syria's Terrorism Stop
Should Syria's Terrorism Stop Lebanon is Looking Forward For A Peace Treaty Between Lebanon & Israel
Murder Inc. in Syria
By Moshe Arens Haaretz
The report by UN investigator Detlev Mehlis, which examined the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, and puts the blame squarely on senior Syrian officials, should have come as no surprise to Israelis acquainted with the many years of Syrian misrule in Lebanon. A cardinal tool in Syrian domination of its neighbor-state, Lebanon, was the assassination of Lebanese, especially those in positions of leadership found to be inconvenient by the rulers in Damascus.If you wanted to stay alive in Lebanon, you had to bend yourself to the Syrian will. Even the current leader of the Druze community in the country, Walid Jumblatt, learned this lesson when the Syrians murdered his father Kamal Jumblatt. For years thereafter, he was a docile ally of the Syrians.Until Hariri's assassination, the most outrageous Syrian crime was the murder of Bashir Gemayel, the president-elect of Lebanon, on September 14, 1982, eight days before his scheduled inauguration. His brother, Amin Gemayel, who became president after the assassination, immediately understood the message from Damascus and scuttled the treaty with Israel that had been negotiated over many months, signed with the assistance of U.S. secretary of state George Shultz and ratified by the Lebanese parliament.According to the treaty, Israeli forces were to leave southern Lebanon and relations between Israel and Lebanon were to be normalized. That is how Hafez Assad, the father of the current dictator of Syria, set the stage for another 23 years of Syrian rule in Lebanon and, utilizing the Hezbollah Shia terrorist organization, opened a front on Israel's northern border that took a heavy toll in Israeli lives over the years. The western world took these brutal Syrian actions in its stride, and Hafez Assad became a much admired, and even respected world leader.Bashar Assad saw no reason why he should not follow his father's example and get rid of the recalcitrant Lebanese leader, Rafik Hariri, who did not support changes to the Lebanese constitution to permit a third term for the Syrian stooge, Emile Lahoud, as president of Lebanon. He obviously had not been following U.S. policies very closely, and failed to realize that President George W. Bush had changed the rules. Rule by assassination was no longer acceptable.One can only wonder in retrospect, how and why did Assad got away with murder all these years, all the while hosting the headquarters of Palestinian terrorist organizations in Damascus and encouraging Hezbollah's activities against Israel. He was treated with great deference by the world's leaders; Syria was elected to the UN Security Council. U.S. president Clinton went out of his way to court Assad. In January 1994, he met with Assad in Geneva, nine months later he visited him in Damascus, and in 2000 he again had a tete-a-tete with him in Geneva.Israel, although directly harmed by Syria's actions in Lebanon, tried to outdo president Clinton. Successive Israeli prime ministers have attempted to turn the Golan Heights over to Assad, prepared to uproot 18,000 Israelis from their homes and turn the 15,000 Druze inhabitants of the Golan Heights over to the criminal regime in Syria. Acceptance of continued Syrian domination of Lebanon was considered part of the bargain.Ehud Barak outdid himself in singing the praises of Hafez Assad, calling him a wise and courageous leader, and arranged for a meeting with Farouk Shara, Syria's foreign minister, in Shepherdstown, Virginia under Clinton's tutelage, to discuss withdrawal from the Golan Heights. This is the very same Shara who has been accused in the UN report of attempting to subvert the UN inquiry into the murder of Hariri.The adulation showered on another Arab tyrant, Yasser Arafat, is part and parcel of the same syndrome. We don't care how many people they have murdered or how many terrorist atrocities they have committed; we are only too happy to shake their blood-stained hands and help them perpetuate their regimes and oppress their people, usher them into the Oval Office and recommend them for the Nobel Peace Prize.Hopefully those days are over. This time Bashar Assad has overplayed his hand. The world is not prepared to condone rule by assassination, just as it is not prepared to accept terrorism. Maybe this time Lebanon will be set free and Hezbollah will be disarmed. Maybe a step will be taken to bring peace between Israel and Lebanon closer.
Murder Inc. in Syria
By Moshe Arens Haaretz
The report by UN investigator Detlev Mehlis, which examined the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, and puts the blame squarely on senior Syrian officials, should have come as no surprise to Israelis acquainted with the many years of Syrian misrule in Lebanon. A cardinal tool in Syrian domination of its neighbor-state, Lebanon, was the assassination of Lebanese, especially those in positions of leadership found to be inconvenient by the rulers in Damascus.If you wanted to stay alive in Lebanon, you had to bend yourself to the Syrian will. Even the current leader of the Druze community in the country, Walid Jumblatt, learned this lesson when the Syrians murdered his father Kamal Jumblatt. For years thereafter, he was a docile ally of the Syrians.Until Hariri's assassination, the most outrageous Syrian crime was the murder of Bashir Gemayel, the president-elect of Lebanon, on September 14, 1982, eight days before his scheduled inauguration. His brother, Amin Gemayel, who became president after the assassination, immediately understood the message from Damascus and scuttled the treaty with Israel that had been negotiated over many months, signed with the assistance of U.S. secretary of state George Shultz and ratified by the Lebanese parliament.According to the treaty, Israeli forces were to leave southern Lebanon and relations between Israel and Lebanon were to be normalized. That is how Hafez Assad, the father of the current dictator of Syria, set the stage for another 23 years of Syrian rule in Lebanon and, utilizing the Hezbollah Shia terrorist organization, opened a front on Israel's northern border that took a heavy toll in Israeli lives over the years. The western world took these brutal Syrian actions in its stride, and Hafez Assad became a much admired, and even respected world leader.Bashar Assad saw no reason why he should not follow his father's example and get rid of the recalcitrant Lebanese leader, Rafik Hariri, who did not support changes to the Lebanese constitution to permit a third term for the Syrian stooge, Emile Lahoud, as president of Lebanon. He obviously had not been following U.S. policies very closely, and failed to realize that President George W. Bush had changed the rules. Rule by assassination was no longer acceptable.One can only wonder in retrospect, how and why did Assad got away with murder all these years, all the while hosting the headquarters of Palestinian terrorist organizations in Damascus and encouraging Hezbollah's activities against Israel. He was treated with great deference by the world's leaders; Syria was elected to the UN Security Council. U.S. president Clinton went out of his way to court Assad. In January 1994, he met with Assad in Geneva, nine months later he visited him in Damascus, and in 2000 he again had a tete-a-tete with him in Geneva.Israel, although directly harmed by Syria's actions in Lebanon, tried to outdo president Clinton. Successive Israeli prime ministers have attempted to turn the Golan Heights over to Assad, prepared to uproot 18,000 Israelis from their homes and turn the 15,000 Druze inhabitants of the Golan Heights over to the criminal regime in Syria. Acceptance of continued Syrian domination of Lebanon was considered part of the bargain.Ehud Barak outdid himself in singing the praises of Hafez Assad, calling him a wise and courageous leader, and arranged for a meeting with Farouk Shara, Syria's foreign minister, in Shepherdstown, Virginia under Clinton's tutelage, to discuss withdrawal from the Golan Heights. This is the very same Shara who has been accused in the UN report of attempting to subvert the UN inquiry into the murder of Hariri.The adulation showered on another Arab tyrant, Yasser Arafat, is part and parcel of the same syndrome. We don't care how many people they have murdered or how many terrorist atrocities they have committed; we are only too happy to shake their blood-stained hands and help them perpetuate their regimes and oppress their people, usher them into the Oval Office and recommend them for the Nobel Peace Prize.Hopefully those days are over. This time Bashar Assad has overplayed his hand. The world is not prepared to condone rule by assassination, just as it is not prepared to accept terrorism. Maybe this time Lebanon will be set free and Hezbollah will be disarmed. Maybe a step will be taken to bring peace between Israel and Lebanon closer.
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