U.S. concentrating forces near Syrian border

World Tribune ^ | Wednesday, April 16, 2003 | unknown

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Found this reference on the Drudge Report!

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[Brett66]

That's probably why they sounded so much more concilatory today about creating a WMD free zone in the mid-east.

[SamAdams76]

It is apparent that there is a redeployment of U.S. forces going on in the region with an eye to future operations in the area.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

WMD free zone

I must have missed that one!

Got a link?

[Dog Gone]

The World Tribune is a completely unreliable news source.

[Dog]

Awww come on.....don't spoil the fun......:-)

[Brett66]

Here it is:

Syria Asks UN to Put Heat on Israel's Nuclear Arms

[caisson71]

HeeeHaaa, head'um up, move'em out!! Driver, forward.

[blam]

It's a 'slick' attempt by Syria to get at Israel. They have proposed a WMD free middle-east.

[RightWhale]

Syria could go for broke and attack with everything. Iran, too. One way or the other, the problem would be over. All the problems.

[gcruse]

That's probably why they sounded so much more concilatory today about creating a WMD free zone in the mid-east.

Conciliatory to strip Israel of her nukes?  Never play poker.

[AndyJackson]

The fulll article is as follows


By Irwin Arieff

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Syria, seeking to shift world attention from itself to Israel, asked the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday to help transform the Middle East into a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction.



Syria denies U.S. charges that it is developing chemical weapons, and accuses Washington of ignoring Israel, which is widely assumed to have nuclear weapons.


A draft resolution introduced by Syria in the 15-nation Security Council would welcome all initiatives aimed at establishing a "a zone free of weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons," in the Middle East.


The draft calls on the council to take a central role in countering the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons in the region and calls on all Middle Eastern governments to ratify a series of arms control treaties, including the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.


Israel has signed the convention but never ratified it, while Syria has neither signed nor ratified.


Syria's U.N. ambassador, Mikhail Wehbe, said Syria would ratify it if all other governments in the region did so.


Wehbe introduced the resolution during a closed-door council session after getting a green light the day before from representatives of the Arab group of countries at the United Nations (news - web sites).


The Arab envoys gathered after top U.S. officials accused Syria of developing chemical weapons, giving sanctuary to fleeing Iraqi officials and assisting Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) in his effort to defend Iraq (news - web sites) against the U.S. invasion.



Wehbe said it was "very clear to everybody" that the U.S. charges aimed to shift attention from the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and "the Israeli killing of the Palestinian people."


U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said Washington also wanted all Middle Eastern nations including Israel to get rid of all their weapons of mass destruction.


But he said the most pressing concern for the United States right now was to rid Iraq of all such arms. The United States has yet to find any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.


He said Washington had expressed to the Damascus government its concerns about what he described as Syria's "ongoing weapons of mass destruction programs." Negroponte said that the United States believed that Syria had tried to acquire the materials needed to make chemical weapons.


Council diplomats said it was unclear where the Syrian draft would go from here -- or how fast -- now that it had been introduced.


Council members agreed to consult their governments on the measure and discuss it again at the expert level on Thursday.


Numerous governments have accused Washington of a double standard in threatening to crack down on Syria as well as Iran and North Korea (news - web sites) on the issue of weapons of mass destruction while ignoring Israel, which is believed to have some 200 nuclear warheads.


Israel declines to discuss its nuclear activities.





U.S. officials have said they hoped the example of Iraq's defeat at the hands of the U.S. military would persuade countries such as Syria, Iran and North Korea to give up their ambitions for weapons of mass destruction.

That has led to speculation -- denied by Washington -- that the United States, with hundreds of thousands of troops in neighboring Iraq, might invade Syria next.

[cynicom]

Two faced Turks hate to see money from the GI s, leave.

[Reagan Man]

This is a clear message to the Syrian's.

Stop allowing border crossings by Saddam sympathizers. Stop harboring Saddam sympathizers. Turn over all Saddam loyalists you have in your country. ASAP!... or else.

[Brett66]

Concilitory in a warped arab sort of way.

[MeekOneGOP]

U.S. concentrating forces near Syrian border

Excerpt:

U.S. officials said Central Command has ordered a buildup of assets in western Iraq. They said the buildup is centered at Al Rutba and includes M1A1 main battle tanks, AH-64A attack helicopters and A-10 ground-support fighter-jets.

The U.S. move aims to prevent the escape of Iraqi leaders and nonconventional military assets to Syria. They said U.S. forces will also ensure that Arab foreign volunteers based in Syria will be captured as soon as they enter Iraq.

Officials have assured Syria that the military buildup is not meant against the regime of President Bashar Assad. But Coalition forces have already attacked Iraqi targets within 10 kilometers of the Syrian border.

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[TLBSHOW]

I am waiting for this one to go down. Syria must be shocked!

[MeekOneGOP]

Game of cat and mouse goin' on !

[gcruse]

I'm not sure we're really ready for
Ali Baba's version of ethics. There's
a reason for the forty thieves.