Butt out or else, Brits to tell Syria

New York Daily News ^ | 4/12/03 | KENNETH R. BAZINET

[kattracks]

WASHINGTON - A high-level British delegation is heading to Damascus to warn Syria that the U.S. is serious about clamping down on suspected help it's giving Saddam Hussein's toppled regime, sources said yesterday.

British Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien is expected to be in Damascus as early as tomorrow to warn President Bashar Assad that he shouldn't doubt that, if pushed, President Bush could use force to end Syrian help for the fallen Iraqi regime.

O'Brien also will visit Iran during the trip - another Iraqi neighbor that has been warned to butt out of the war.

Yesterday, U.S. and British special forces units engaged suspected Saddam loyalists fleeing near Qaim, by the Syrian border. The U.S. has warned Syria not to harbor Saddam's family or his Baath Party cronies.

"Syria just needs to know we expect full cooperation, and that we strongly urge them not to allow for Baath Party members or Saddam's families or generals on the run to seek safe haven and find safe haven there," President Bush said yesterday. "If they are in their country, we expect the Syrian authorities to turn them over to the proper folks."

Syria is believed to have allowed paramilitaries to cross into Iraq to fight coalition forces with the Fedayeen and sent military aid, like night-vision goggles, to Iraq.

Reps. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) offered legislation yesterday that calls for sanctions against Syria for helping Saddam and backing terrorist groups, like Hezbollah. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told the Daily News he would sponsor a similar bill in the Senate in coming days.

With Thomas M. DeFrank

Originally published on April 12, 2003

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[piasa]

Now this is familiar... not unlike what Bush told the Taliban:

"Syria just needs to know we expect full cooperation, and that we strongly urge them not to allow for Baath Party members or Saddam's families or generals on the run to seek safe haven and find safe haven there. If they are in their country, we expect the Syrian authorities to turn them over to the proper folks." - President Bush, April 11, 2003

[piasa]

Interesting that we have two Dems, a NY rep and a NY senator backing the sanctions legislation.

NY does have some scores to settle.

[Asher]

Shame the British haven't been a little more consistent. Only a few months back they were kissing up to Boy Assad:

President Assad received Britain prime minister special envoy

4-December-2002

President Bashar al-Assad and wife are scheduled to pay a three-day official visit to Britain where in mid of current month responding to an invitation extended by British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

During the visit, the President and the accompanying delegation are scheduled to hold talks with Blair and senior British officials .

The President is also scheduled to meet with Queen Elizabeth II and Crown Prince Charles.

The President received on Tuesday British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Personal Envoy, Edward Chaplen.

During the meeting President al-Assad received a personal letter from the British Prime Minister.

Talks during the meeting dealt with bilateral relations and the situation in the region particularly what is going on in the occupied Palestinian territories and the in Iraq.

http://www.syrialive.net/Media/news/2002/120402President%20Assad%20received%20Britain%20prime%20minister%20special%20envoy.htm

[Publius6961]

Our presence is there along the border now.
The number of roads is limited and any group going cross-country would be easily found.
This "warning" deals with the continuing traffic in both directions, sparse as it may be.

[majorc_us]

Congratulations Syria, you're neeeext!

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly...it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated." - Thomas paine

[tictoc]

The German media claim that the CENTCOM spokesman in Doha contradicted Rumsfeld's claim about Syrian arms smuggling to Saddamites.

Does anyone know more about this alleged statement by a CENTCOM spokesman?

[Feckless]

I can't get the vision out of my head of Chester or Festus with a cockney accent warning the bad guys that Marshall Dillion has about had enough of their guff....

[Driver70]

The fresh 4th infantry Division just entered Iraq, they could close that border in a few days and put an impressive force in striking range

[I_dmc]

Had a horrid thought. If my picture was in that deck of 55 cards, I'd do my best to get to Syria, with US POWs, for bargaining chips.

[Driver70]

If my face was on that deck of cards, I would do anything I could to rescue those hostages and come crawling to the US asking for a deal

[UncleSamUSA]

CentCom did not in any way contradict Secy Rumsfeld, who is after all, their ultimate boss. CentCom can report on what has or has not been confirmed in the field, but it has not contradicted Rumsfeld on the core issue of Syrian "unhelpfulness" in both sending certain people and equipment in and in accepting certain Iraqi high-ranking people coming out of Iraq.

Are you telling me you are seriously believing GERMAN TELEVISION???? Jeez... you can listen to CentComm and Pentagon briefings on your own, can't you??

[scooby321]

I think its time to Bomb Syria in a few selected areas