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U.S. to Syria: Kick out terrorists, get out of Lebanon
"It seems to me that Syria does bear some responsibility" for the double suicide bombing in Beer Sheva on August 31, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said on Friday. "Syria must withdraw its forces from Lebanon," said Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East William J. Burns in Damascus. Media reports suggested that Syria will make a "historic announcement" about redeployment in Lebanon following an American ultimatum. In an interview with Egypt TV, Armitage was asked if Syria "should be held accountable" for the Beer Sheva attacks, which killed 16 Israelis and wounded more than 100. "Why not? Syria holds and houses Hamas. Syria is a conduit of weapons from Iran to Hizbullah. It seems to me that Syria does bear some responsibility," Armitage replied. But Armitage stopped short of endorsing an Israeli strike on Syria. "That I didn't say. You asked me should they be held accountable, and I said they bore some responsibility," Armitage said. Israeli officials had previously hinted that Israel might stage military actions within Syria as a response to the Beer Sheva attacks. According to media reports, Israel had provided the United States with "concrete evidence" of Syria's involvement in the attacks. Recent media reports have indicated that Hamas leaders based in Damascus, who allegedly directed and financed the Beer Sheva attacks, have gone underground in fear of an Israeli reprisal. Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-09-17 |
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