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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
US demands action from Syria
2004-10-24
"I'm a dictator. I'm the son of a dictator. They're gonna come and get me and string me up. I've never even been in an outdoor toilet, much less hidden at the bottom of one..."
A senior US official called on Saturday for action from Syria to prove it was changing its attitude regarding Lebanon, Iraq and its alleged support of terrorism, warning of further sanctions if no change was forthcoming.
"Don't make us come in there!"
"There are many issues that raise concern about Syria's attitude towards Lebanon, Iraq and terrorism," US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield was quoted as telling Lebanon's leading An-Nahar newspaper. "We want to see Syria take concrete measures because words are not enough." Washington in May imposed economic sanctions on Syria for its alleged support of terrorism, purported efforts to obtain mass destruction weapons and failing to crack down on infiltration of insurgents into Iraq. Damascus has rejected the charges. "The American president has available a number of measures he could take and which would have an effect on the United States' economic, financial and commercial relations with Syria," Satterfield warned. "The United States is extremely worried by the current situation in Lebanon because of Syrian interference," he added. The UN Security Council in September passed Resolution 1559, sponsored by the United States and France, demanding that Damascus pull its estimated 15,000 troops out of Lebanon and end what it saw as meddling in the affairs of its neighbour.

The 15-member UN Security Council issued a further statement Tuesday calling again on Damascus to comply with the resolution, a call rejected outright by Syria and Lebanon as "interference". "Lebanon and its political leaders must make their decisions in freedom, far from external interference or threats," Satterfield said. Lebanon's prime minister Rafiq Hariri resigned on Wednesday, with his pro-Damascus arch-foe Omar Karameh almost immediately called upon to form a new government, a move sharply criticised by Washington.
Posted by:Fred

#18  Say it again.... you gotta see the really big flag Tony. :)
Posted by: Shipman   2004-10-24 7:56:31 PM  

#17  Tony, Bush has refused to bail out the airlines, who are facing financial difficulties due to shrinking markets and higher fuel prices. As a result, the pilots (some of whom are very highly paid) are under pressure to make wage concessions.
Posted by: rkb   2004-10-24 7:02:10 PM  

#16  Wonder if Junior is noticing that the New Improved Iraqi Army (tm) is evolving well? An Iraqi Army being built from the ground up into something to really be treated with respect, particularly if you are assisting their enemies sending death and destruction among their civilians and families. Just what you need, an effective Israeli and Iraqi Army focused on you.
Posted by: Don   2004-10-24 5:49:12 PM  

#15  Thanks for that Mrs D. and Seafarious. One sign that I noticed for Kerry was for the Airline Pilots Association (or something very similar). I thought that was an unusual grouping to be rooting for Kerry. Also noticed a 'Firefighters for Kerry' bumper sticker on a vehicle on the way in from Dulles.

Email on its way Seafarious...
Posted by: Tony (UK)   2004-10-24 5:02:28 PM  

#14  DC is true-blue democrat. Maryland is traditionally Democrat thanks to Baltimore's big political machine, but parts of the state are starting to get a bit of a pinkish tinge. Virginia is starting to be a two-party state...blue on top where all the federal employees live, red on the bottom from Quantico south.

Of more interest to was an informal poll at a downtown DC burrito take-out place. The Kerry burrito was (predictably) leading the Bush burrito, but by a much smaller margin than I would have guessed: 1027-963. Food for thought, I guess.

PS Tony, email me at seafarious@yahoo.com
Posted by: Seafarious   2004-10-24 4:57:33 PM  

#13  I still say he looks like Himmler...
Posted by: borgboy   2004-10-24 4:57:15 PM  

#12  Tony,

DC and the surrounding Maryland suburbs are a one party state - Democrat. Virginia is more balanced.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-10-24 4:48:38 PM  

#11  No no no Bomb-a-rama, to me that look is of someone who has been forced to stare into the abyss and has some very hard decisions to make. On the one hand he has the generals still pulling the strings and has Saddam's WMDs in his back yard (which actually, is not a good thing to have lying around), on the other hand, he has a huge Iron Fist, in the shape of those 'Merkans looming over his head. Oh, and just to really make his day, he can't forget that the Israelis can bomb Syria with impunity whenever they want to prove a point. Hard decisions indeed...

PS In DC at the moment - amazing city, Air and Space museum is awesome but I've noticed a fair few Kerry support posters around - that normal for DC?
Posted by: Tony (UK)   2004-10-24 4:45:50 PM  

#10  Assad's face just seems to have on it a look of absolute evil.


Practice?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-10-24 4:35:45 PM  

#9  For some reason, Assad's face just seems to have on it a look of absolute evil.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2004-10-24 4:04:17 PM  

#8  Oh, and does anybody know what's happening out at those airbases in western Iraq?

Airbases? What airbases? Anyone around here see any airbases? Fred, you see any bases?
Posted by: Steve   2004-10-24 2:37:29 PM  

#7  Frag is stupid a**, the pile of human excrement.
Posted by: anymouse   2004-10-24 1:43:45 PM  

#6  Dad's generals will let Sonny lead as long as he does not rock the boat too much. Sonny's options are **ahem** rather limited.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2004-10-24 10:48:20 AM  

#5  lol - the H-Dog!
Posted by: Frank G   2004-10-24 10:43:16 AM  

#4  I finally figured out where I've seen this asshat before: he's Herbert Kornfeld, Accounts Receivable.
Posted by: BH   2004-10-24 10:34:04 AM  

#3  The Generals that pull his strings are the same that worked for Dad. I'd like to see this pencil-necked geek strung up by the Kurds
Posted by: Frank G   2004-10-24 9:36:44 AM  

#2  What a pathetic moustache. He is clearly not the man his father was. His poor,dead father must be writhing in agony, watching all he worked so hard to achieve melting away.
Posted by: trailing wife   2004-10-24 9:32:32 AM  

#1  I'm trying to figure out this State Department/Defense Department good cop/bad cop routine. State says "concerned". Rumsfeld says "unhelpful". The French strike a pose in the Security Council, but don't really mean it. Meanwhile, stone cold killer American warriors are just across the Iraqi border. How is a Syrian optometrist supposed to parse these messages?

Oh, and does anybody know what's happening out at those airbases in western Iraq? We never seem to hear about them.
Posted by: Classical_Liberal   2004-10-24 3:38:53 AM  

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