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Assad betting we're not serious
A senior adviser to President Hosni Mubarak said yesterday he doubted the United States would take any action against Syria beyond making threats and applying pressure, the official news agency MENA reported. Presidential adviser Osama El-Baz spoke in MENA in Paris, where Mubarak had talks on Friday with President Jacques Chirac. âIt may be a matter of going to the limits in making threats, because Syria cannot be accused of the same charges made against Iraq,â said Baz, who has been among the top foreign policy decision-makers in Egypt since the 1970s. âAs far as Syria is concerned, itâs a question of practicing pressure,â he added. â Baz ruled out any serious American inclination to carry out any action against Syria,â MENA reported.
| If the Boy President bets the farm on that, he could end up sitting next to Sammy... |
US congressional sources said on Friday that the US administration planned to impose sanctions on Syria within weeks for its support of Lebanese and Palestinian militant groups. Several sources said the administration was leaning toward imposing economic rather than diplomatic sanctions under legislation signed by President George W. Bush in December. The legislation, the Syria Accountability Act, bans trade in items that could be used in weapons programs until the administration certifies Syria is not supporting âterroristâ groups, has withdrawn personnel from Lebanon, is not developing unconventional weapons and has secured its border with Iraq. Syria says its support for the Palestinian and Lebanese groups is merely political and their only activity in Syria is speaking to the media. After the rapid fall of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein last year, conservatives close to the Bush administration openly advocated military action against Syria. But Washingtonâs difficulties in Iraq have dampened any enthusiasm the administration may have had for another military adventure in the Middle East, analysts say.
| Ahhh... That's what they're counting on. |
Baz also said it was premature to speculate about a possible meeting between Mubarak and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh after a visit to Cairo next week by Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. However, senior Israeli and Egyptian officials are to meet early next week to discuss Sharonâs proposed evacuation of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, public radio said yesterday.
Posted by: Fred 2004-03-07 |
