Syriaâs Secret Service is Behind the âIraqi Resistanceâ
From MEMRI, EFL:
The November 1, 2003 conference of foreign ministers of the countries neighboring Iraq yielded numerous articles in the Arab press condemning Syriaâs pro-Saddam stance. Among the authors were editor of the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa, Ahmad Al-Jarallah, and Iraqi opposition member and political commentator Dr. Riyadh Al-Amir. The following are excerpts from the articles:
In an article published in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa titled "Syria is Committing Suicide in Baghdad, and No One Besides Her is Dying," Ahmad Al-Jarallah wrote: "On the face of it, Syria washes its hands, because it is Iraqis who are resisting the American occupation â even though suicide bombers possessing Syrian identity cards with serial numbers of the [Syrian] secret service have been apprehended⊠Even regimes like Fidel Castroâs in Cuba⊠have renounced these hoary political games. [But in Syria] they are back, [with] a new hoax called âthe Iraqi opposition.â By receiving the delegation of Iraqi opposition leaders, Syrian President Dr. Bashar Al-Assad signaled a new era in the Syrian-led Iraqi struggle to drown the Americans in the Tigris and Euphrates, just as [Syria] threatened in the past to throw the Jews into the sea.
The Syrian ID card part is interesting
In a follow-up article titled "Another War of Liberation is Not Inconceivable," Al-Jarallah wrote: "The hope of the Syrian regime â [that is,] reactivating the principles of its policy⊠of interfering in other [Middle East countriesâ] business by means of a conference of foreign ministers of countries neighboring Iraq⊠has proved to be in vain⊠This is because the regional role so desired by the Syrian regime stems not from any real power or any centrality of its actions, but from an inherent parasitic tendency that has turned Damascus into a state living off others⊠The countries⊠that answered Syriaâs call [to convene] have shown greater [political] acumen than their host, managing to turn the tables on [Syriaâs] plan for a Syrian-led anti-American conference⊠They forced the Syrian regime to adopt a rational position, to grasp reality⊠and to realize that, given the current international reality, its political calculations are anachronistic⊠The Syrian regimeâs prediction that Congressâs Syria Accountability Act had no chance of passage because it was inconceivable⊠was proved false, [because] it was based on erroneous calculations. The law was ratified⊠because today Syria is endangering American and global interests in the Middle East, particularly since maintaining the Syrian regime is no longer in anyoneâs interestâŠ
Heh, heh, heh.
In an article posted on the liberal Arabic website www.elaph.com titled "The Old and New Syrian Guard Are in the Same Pit," Dr. Riyadh Al-Amir wrote: "[When] Syrian Prime Minister Mustafa Miro gave Saddam Hussein a golden sword⊠did this express Syrian gratitude for Saddamâs many abortive attempts to assassinate Hafez Al-Assad, or, perhaps, for transporting Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to Syria in trains and trucks just prior to the launch of [U.N.] searches? Maybe it was for transferring the plundered treasures of the Iraqi people⊠and depositing them in Syrian government banks to revive Syriaâs ailing economyâŠ?
Interesting reading.
Posted by: Steve 2003-12-05 |