Syrian leader assails Israel as source of Mideast violence

Bakersfield Californian ^ | 12/3/03 | Albert Aji - AP

[NormsRevenge]

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday accused the Israeli government of following "the policies of escalation and extremism," making the Middle East a more dangerous place.

In a speech at a banquet honoring Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Assad turned to Syria's recurring theme that Israel and its occupation of war-conquered Arab lands were at the core of Palestinian-Israeli violence and turmoil throughout the region.

Assad accused Israel of rejecting an Arab willingness to make peace. He claimed that tension throughout the region was due to "the policies of escalation and extremism the Israeli government follows and its actions of aggression on the Arab people in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria."

The Syrian president warned that Israeli policies portended "the most dangerous consequences if a rational, international will is not available to put an end to them," according to the official Syrian Arab New Agency, SANA.

Assad charged that "the thing that caused the region to lose its stability, ruined its natural course of development and consumed all its development was Israel's occupation of Arab lands and its refusal to comply with the requirements of a just and comprehensive peace."

Silva, who's on a Mideast tour aimed at bolstering trade and his country's campaign for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, called for "an effective U.N. role in solving the problems of the region," SANA said.

Silva said his country was ready to cooperate with Syria and other Arab countries to boost trade with them. Brazilian Foreign Ministry officials say Silva is expected to propose a trade summit of Latin and Mideast leaders.

[ConservativeMan55]

Rush back at it again! Take that Liberals!

[river rat]

"....that Israel and its occupation of war-conquered Arab lands were at the core of Palestinian-Israeli violence and turmoil throughout the region.

I'm glad to see the acknowledgement that Israel "occupies" land WON as the result of WAR initiated by the neighboring Arab states...

Possession is 9 points of the law -- I've heard said a time or two..

If the Arabs really care about the cockroaches, they should welcome them into THEIR countries...

What Arab occupied land - taken at war, have the Arabs given back to the "loser"?

F'em....and if they don't shut the hell up and behave - they may lose a lot more than land, the next time.

Semper Fi

[Nachum]

How many Arabs are coming out of Syria to attack American GI's in Iraq?

[spyone]

Assad charged that "the thing that caused the region to lose its stability, ruined its natural course of development and consumed all its development was Israel's occupation of Arab lands and its refusal to comply with the requirements of a just and comprehensive peace."

Translation: My daddy, the prior dictator of Syria, attacked Israel, and in the process, lost a big chunk of our land(Golan Heights). Big screw up. My job is to act tough and try and get it back, else I am out of a job. Don't care how long it takes, or even if it works, frankly, cuz I like to be dictator and don't really want anything to change. My "Arab brothers", the Palestinians are a good propaganda piece for me, but heaven forbid we give them passports, or let them buy land here, or do anything else for them. They make great domestic servants though....

[NormsRevenge]

Bashar can always go to work as a dentist if all else fails, I reckun. I think that is what he studied while he lived in England and went to schools there, if I'm not mistaken.

[archy]

Brazil is revving up their nuke weapons program:

I wonder how their old X3 guided missile program has progressed over the last several years, or if it's been replaced with something bigger or better.

[archy]

Correct me if I am wrong, but Syria's biggest problem is outdated non-maintained/no spare parts Sov weapons systems...

Brazil ships them 100,000 Taurus 357 snubbies?

The Ukrainians have a lovely upgrade package for the 2000+ Syrian T55 tanks, making them a probably more credible fighting vehicle than the more modern T72, also a staple of the Syrian armory [270 Million dollars worth, in 1992-93 dollars.] The Syrians didn't get their tank fleet rebuilt to the T-55MV standard overnight, of course, but the project was progressing as far back as 1997, and is probably complete by now. And it's likely that there was interplay between them and the Iraqis, who also developed their own T-55 upgrade [which they designated T-72, just to confuse matters] using the 2A46 125mm main gun and automatic loader of the T-72. That may also explain how the Iraqis came up with at least some very advanced Russian antitank guided missiles, and maybe even why.

Background: *here*, and *here* and *here*. T-55 MV info *here*.

T55, as built:

T-55M upgrade version:

Iraqi T-72Z, AKA *Enigma*:

[archy]

In the b&w pic of the Iraqi T-72Z, AKA *Enigma* I guess I recognize the protective "cladding" (?) around the front of the turret, but what's the vegetationesque material on the back? Camo?

Sure looks like it. Nets, I expect, with bits of either burlap or poly sheet *garnish* to match the colour of the nearby terrain.

-archy-/-

[archy]

And please forgive this laymen's malapropisms...

I haven't seen any from you yet. If you have no formal experience nor training around armour and yet make reasonably informed assumptions thereof, I'd say you're doing better that the average tank outfit rookie. And in a working tank unit, such a creature who asks many questions easily answered is far to be preferred to one who does not and thereby has a major safety procedure or operational technique pass by incorrectly, too often with lethal results around surprisingly fast moving and unyieldingh machinery far less yielding than flesh and bone.

I'd be glad to have you in my crew anytime; you'd learn fast enough. Besides, your queries make a good review over an old crewdog's shoulder, and may easily pick up on something that those of us more at home around armour might take for granted, being sometimes too much a part of the forest to notice we're still individual trees. You ask away anytime, even if the questions seem to have obvious answers.

-archy-/-

[cars for sale]

where do you good freepers think the MOAB
was intended ? bluff the nukes and MOAB their
ass......hide and watch.