| Submit your comments on this article |
| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Syria redeploys troops from Lebanon to the Iraqi border |
| 2004-09-21 |
| Syrian forces positioned in Lebanon since the 1975 Lebanese civil war will commence a major redeployment toward the Syrian-Lebanese border Tuesday, and Syrian and U.S. troops will partake in joint security operations along the Syrian-Iraqi border, official sources in Damascus told United Press International Monday. "This is official," said Imad Mustapha, Syria's ambassador to Washington, speaking from Damascus. "Tuesday morning there will be a major redeployment of Syrian forces in Lebanon toward the border," he said in a telephone conversation. The ambassador also confirmed earlier reports of joint U.S.-Syrian military cooperation intended to thwart terrorist operations in Iraq. Mustapha is in Damascus for consultations before returning to the United States with Syria's Foreign Minister Farouk Sharaa where they will attend the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York later this week. Sharaa is also scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Mustapha said. The Syrian diplomat told United Press International the military redeployment -- a long-standing demand by the United States -- came about as a result of "Syria having greater confidence in the situation." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #6 The Syrian diplomat told United Press International the military redeployment -- a long-standing demand by the United States -- came about as a result of "Syria having greater confidence in the situation." I smell a skunk. It had better not be a US skunk. |
| Posted by: jules 187 2004-09-21 1:48:18 PM |
| #5 Baby Assad better come around with Israel on one side and Marines on the other. Yassssssssss, that and the sale of a metric butt-load of smart bombs to Israel makes for a real nice incentive. I think Baby Assad went through more than a couple of diaper changes before coming aboard. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2004-09-21 1:37:43 PM |
| #4 Baby Assad better come around with Israel on one side and Marines on the other. |
| Posted by: crazyhorse 2004-09-21 11:06:13 AM |
| #3 that's really good news. |
| Posted by: 2B 2004-09-21 8:42:26 AM |
| #2 2B, Nov 2 is around the corner. Looking a bit forward in time, it is almost certain that "4 more years" is written in stars. Baby Assad undoubtedly knows that Syria has been in crosshair. He is not a suicidal maniac, in contrast to mullahs in Tehran with their black rags wrapped rather too tight. On one hand, he is a pragmatic man, on the other, he made several political blunders, namely his support for Saddam, thus gambling away any good relations with US before the Iraq war. The porosity of the Syrian/Iraq border may have been a gamble that paid off. The more malcontents were pouring into Iraq and getting killed there, the less they were a problem domestically. However, the US crosshair started to appear too close for comfort. Better to make ammends. "We are not the bad guys, really, look east!" They got themselves off the hook, for now. |
| Posted by: Memesis 2004-09-21 8:36:48 AM |
| #1 hmm...what's up with all of this sudden cooperation from Syria? |
| Posted by: 2B 2004-09-21 7:56:31 AM |