NAZARETH â Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom has said the trial of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, which began on Wednesday, had shaken the Arab world as it proved that leaders would have to pay for any crime they committed while in power. âThis is what is happening to Saddam Hussein and it is what will happen to the one responsible for the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, and to Hamas also,â he said in an interview he gave in Hebrew to the official Israeli Radio.| Hint, hint, nudge, nudge. |
Shalom, who spoke at length on the assassination of Hariri, said his countryâs assessment of the issue pointed to the involvement of a number of personalities in the Syrian government. âBut I believe the best thing to do is to wait for the report of the German investigator, Detliv Mehlis,â he said, adding that the Jewish entity would adopt the report. âBut I believe there is need to keep the pressure on every government that supports terror, whether the government is Iranian or, of course, Syria,â he said.
He claimed that Syria continues to proactively support terror in Iraq, and provide support to Hezbollah and a number of âextremistâ Palestinian organisations. âWe believe this new system of holding leaders responsible for their crimes would lead to a better and more open Middle East region,â he said. He added that he does not support the view which says that Syrian President Bashar Al Assad is better and weaker than other Syrian governments. âI believe, on the contrary, that it is better for Syria to have a new government,â he said.
| "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go talk with my American friends on some 'plans' they've made," he added. |
In reply to the possibility of a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Shalom said he doubted such a meeting would happen next month. âSuch a meeting cannot be held as we know before the meeting that the result will be a big failure,â he said.
A Sharon-Abbas meeting was supposed to be held last Tuesday, but the two leaders agreed to postpone the meeting due to differences on a number of issues. âThe meeting could not take place last week because the gap in the differences between the two men was very wide,â he said. |