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We wonât scrap WMD stockpile unless Israel does, says Assad
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Syria is entitled to defend itself by acquiring its own chemical and biological deterrent, President Bashar Assad said last night as he rejected American and British demands for concessions on weapons of mass destruction.
| Sounds like he might have a stash from... ummm... somewhere. |
In his first major statement since Libyaâs decision last month to scrap its nuclear and chemical programmes, he came closer than ever before to admitting that his country possessed stockpiles of WMD. Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Assad said that any deal to destroy Syriaâs chemical and biological capability would come about only if Israel agreed to abandon its undeclared nuclear arsenal.
You're assuming you stay in charge.
Since the capture of Saddam Hussein and Col Muammar Gaddafiâs decision to dismantle his WMD programme, Mr Assad has risen towards the top of Americaâs poop target list.
Doncha love it when people get to the top based on merit.
The White House and Downing Street have been waiting for his response to Col Gaddafiâs appeal for other Arab leaders to follow his example or risk inflicting a "tragedy" on their people. Asked about American and British claims that Syria had a WMD capability, he stopped short of the categorical denial that has been his governmentâs stock response until now.
| Hasn't had any until now, has he? |
Instead, he pointed to the Israelisâ recent attack on alleged Palestinian bases in Syria and the occupation of the Golan Heights as evidence that Syria needed a deterrent. "We are a country which is [partly] occupied and from time to time we are exposed to Israeli aggression," he said. "It is natural for us to look for means to defend ourselves. It is not difficult to get most of these weapons anywhere in the world and they can be obtained at any time."
| "All y'gotta do is call a Pak. The secret password is 'Koran.'..." |
It is the worst kept secret in the Middle East that Damascus has one of the largest stockpiles of chemical agents in the region. The latest CIA report on weapons of mass destruction says: "Syria continued to seek CW-related expertise from foreign sources [this year]. Damascus already held a stockpile of the nerve agent sarin but apparently tried to develop more toxic and persistent nerve agents. It is highly probable that Syria also continued to develop an offensive BW [biological weapon] capability." Mr Assad tempered his refusal to compromise on WMD by holding out the prospect of joint patrols with America along the Syria-Iraq border to prevent the passage of arms and fighters.
| That's a pretty daggone wilted-looking carrot. Kinda pale, too. Y'sure it didn't used to be an underfed turnip? |
Acknowledging pressure from the US and Britain to crack down on Palestinian extremists based in Syria, he claimed that their offices had been closed and their activities curtailed. The groups could no longer "do anything military from these places. They are closed".
| All you need is a telephone to issue orders. All you need is a bank account to fund... |
But he risked infuriating the West by stepping up his defence of Palestinian suicide bombers. He said the attacks had become "a reality we cannot control" and blamed them on "the Israeli killings, the Israeli occupations". Despite his passionate advocacy of the Palestinian cause and his use in the past of inflammatory language about Israel and Jews, he denied hating them. "If you hate, you cannot talk about peace," he said.
| Actually, you can talk about it all you want, 'til your lips go numb and eventually fall off. If you hate, you cannot actually make peace. Can you, you hateful bastard? |
Tony Blair, speaking on a flight back from Iraq before news emerged of the Assad interview, repeated his hope that Syria would follow Libyaâs example. He said: "We offer Syria the possibility of a partnership for the future. But it is important that they realise that the terms are very clear and have been set out by ourselves and the Americans many times. You can see very clearly with what happened just before Christmas in respect of Libya that it is important to say to countries that may have engaged in such programmes: âLook, there is a different way of dealing with this.â It can be dealt with diplomatically if people are prepared to do so, but it does have to be dealt with."
Sounds like a classic good cop warning to me. I wonder if Blair and Bush practice the routine when they get together :-)
I donât rate Assad's chances of lasting out the year. Also check out a terrific editorial and also an article on Assadâs attitude to paleo boomers in the same edition of the Telegraph.
Posted by: phil_b 2004-01-06 |
