Article

2003-04-14 Syria-Lebanon

Syriaâs Foreign Minister Rants at Joint Briefing with de Villepin

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Posted by Baba Yaga 2003-04-14 10:09 am|| || Front Page|| [9 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 If Syria doesn't get any rhetorical support from Egypt or Saudi A within 24 hours, they will have lost face within the Arab world big time.

Posted by mhw 2003-04-14 11:04:48|| 2003-04-14 11:04:48|| Front Page Top

#2 Oh PLEASE! This sounds canned to me. For all practical purposes, he made the comparison. The news services are busy churning out press releases just like this one and you know that makes him a happy camper. CNN, Al-Jazeera and others will spread this far and wide to the world. The talking point, that Bush is Hitler, is exactly the lie he wanted repeated "often enough" to the Arab world. He can just thinks he can avoid the political fallout that would occur if he could actually be quoted for saying it. What a bunch of weasels.

Posted by becky 2003-04-14 11:08:36|| 2003-04-14 11:08:36|| Front Page Top

#3 mhw..we posted at same time. Your remark is more to the point. It doesn't really matter if the "slip" was on purpose (or not)- however, the Arab response to it will be telling.

Posted by becky 2003-04-14 12:14:33|| 2003-04-14 12:14:33|| Front Page Top

#4 de Villepin in Syria! How come I'm not reading this in any of the news services? I think this is quite noteworthy.

Posted by ColoradoConservative 2003-04-14 13:34:24|| 2003-04-14 13:34:24|| Front Page Top

#5 thanks becky; Even though Assad Jr. has been in power for a few years now he still doesn't have his own flunkies in power (he uses his dad's flunkies); he also tends to give out instructions without thinking things through and this has gotten him in trouble with his Arab financiers a few times before. The profit he got from skimming Iraqi sanctions busting trade is gone (probably in the tens or hundreds of $millions/yr); some of the Syrian troops have left the richer parts of Lebanon (where they could extort some good protection money). Of course, there is the continuing little problem that a lot of the population resents the Alawites. Things are looking a little skaky for regime.

Posted by mhw 2003-04-14 15:16:26|| 2003-04-14 15:16:26|| Front Page Top

#6 de villepin in syria - interesting

all weapons, etc that went into iraq went through Syria. Anything - files, people etc - that went out went through Syria.

US is asking Syria to make a full accounting of what went in (and what went out?) Since 9/11 we've taken it easy on Syria, since they cooperated on intel. What we want from them now is intel.

And that must be making the French and Russians very nervous, if Syria knows whats been moving where and with whose knowledge. Easy way for Syria to get US off its back is to turn "state's evidence" against the axis - France has to be rushing in to guarantee them that France and its pals can protect Syria, as long as Syria protects France. Of course France's failure to protect the regime in Iraq has to effect Syrian thinking.

Interesting.

Posted by liberalhawk 2003-04-14 15:35:04|| 2003-04-14 15:35:04|| Front Page Top

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