Posted on 02/28/2005 6:33:03 AM PST by anotherview
'We are the key to the solution'
Photo: Reuters
ROME - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview published on Monday that he thought the United States might attack his country, but did not believe a strike was imminent.
Assad told Italy's la Repubblica newspaper that Syria wanted stability in the region, and insisted it had no hand in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri on Feb. 14 or in a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv on Friday.
Relations between Washington and Damascus, poor for years, have deteriorated further since the killing of Hariri, and the United States has warned it may press for international sanctions against Syria.
"Washington has imposed sanctions on us and isolated us in the past, but each time the circle hasn't closed around us," Assad told la Repubblica.
"If, however, you ask me if I'm expecting an armed attack (from the United States), well I've seen it coming since the end of the war in Iraq. It's from then that tensions have been rising," he added.
Asked if a "settling of scores" was imminent, Assad said: "I don't think so, for now it's just skirmishing. True, the White House language, if looked at in detail, leads one to expect a campaign similar to the one that led up to attack on Iraq."
'We are essential for the peace process'
Rather than viewing Syria as an enemy, Assad said his country was a vital peace partner and force for stability.
"Sooner or later they will realize that we are the key to the solution. We are essential for the peace process, for Iraq. Look, perhaps one day the Americans will come and knock on our door," he was quoted as saying.
The Lebanese opposition has blamed Syria for Hariri's killing and, backed by the United States and former colonial power France, has called for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.
Assad rejected accusations of involvement in the killing.
"For us it would be like political suicide," he said.
He also indicated Syria would take its time to withdraw its troops from Lebanon. "From a technical viewpoint, the repatriation (of Syrian forces) could happen within the end of the year. But from a strategic viewpoint, it will only happen if we get serious guarantees. In a word, peace," Assad said.
'Syria has nothing to do with it'
Asked about Israeli accusations that Syria was involved in a suicide bombing at a night club in Tel Aviv on Friday that killed five Advertisement
people, Assad said: "It's a pointlessly offensive accusation. Syria has nothing to do with it."
The Syrian president said the United States had made crucial mistakes in its handling of Iraq following the fall of Baghdad and was trying to blame Damascus for its own failings. He denied accusations that Syria was letting insurgents cross into neighbouring Iraq unhindered and said he had offered to set up joint U.S.-Syrian patrols of the border territory.
Washington had yet to reply, he was quoted as saying.
He added that the U.S. reaction to the Sept. 2001 attacks on its cities had not resolved the root causes of the violence.
"Indeed, a few have been aggravated and first amongst these, the question of stability. From Damascus to Jerusalem up to Islamabad and Kabul, there is one long recruitment front for terror," he said.
Asked what his biggest fear was, Assad said: "The thought of this armed America of today which acts like a superpower with no vision."
I'll tell you Allegra, if I were 20 years younger I would be over there with you. Why didn't anything this exciting happen when I was younger?
That Assad thinks we may attack him is a sign that diplomacy is working.
The biggest mistake Saddam made was thinking what we'd never actually attack, so we had to do it to prove him wrong. If Assad believe we would attack, he will have to comply with internationals demands to ensure that we won't.
And aren't you a special little piece of work...
Separated at birth?
Hey Junior, what was your first clue.
Does this have anything to do with Don Rumsfeld asking for a sample of your DNA.
Sleep tight Bozo, we are on our way.
Ah, so they are appeasing us and threatening Israel? That is a plausible explanation. A stupid strategy, if that's what they're doing, but plausible.
Maybe not so stupid. The appeasement of us may cause us to pressure Israel not to respond to the terror attack. The goal would be to drive a wedge between us. It will NOT stop us "calling for" the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, but it may delay our taking military action.
Aw, come on over! We've got guys in their 70s working here.
It's a blast. (Sorry....there I go again.)
It is exciting. Election Day last month was one of the most fascinating experiences I've ever had and I'm so glad I was here for that.
"No, we weren't going to attack. But since you decided to open your pathetic piehole we're going to change our plans and carpetbomb Damascus for a week or two".
And then we're going to Venezuela! And we're going to Cuba! YEAAAAARGH!!!
So many people seem to not be able to understand this.
Our diplomatic efforts with Sadam couldn't succeed, because he never believed we would attack.
Since we have proven that we are willing to go to war if necessisary we have much more credibility in our negotiations now.
Syria has definately started playing nicer recently. A lot of it is just talking nicer and putting on a show of not actively undermining our interests, but it's progress.
ROTFLMAO!!
I smell ozone...
What is this for? The meaning is that all these countries ACCUSE the US of all these forthcoming attacks, yet they never happen.
If US did everything we are accused ... of every other nation would be under US countol.
Please don't accuse someone of being a troll unless you KNOW the facts, fool.
Translated: We are holding up the peace process.
Sounds to me like they are the "lock" not the "key". And you know what you do to unwanted locks...
That pencil necked geek has finally figured something out.
Please see post #34!
You would think people would know statements that are so absurd they are sarcastic. Maybe this will help: IT WAS A SARCASTIC REMARK.
Better?
Assad, following the dems first rule ("divert attention"), clearly said to his staff, "Let's do a couple of dramtic things and try to shift the blame; no one will believe we did such terrible things at such a sensitive time." I also liked the touch of turning Saddam's brother over to the Iraqis. All that proved was that the guy had spent all his cash and was now close to broke.
A word to the wise might be to actually put a (/sarcasm) tag on those sorts of posts until you are better known than 2 weeks on FR.
Apologies if I mis-read. We have a lot of problems with varmints.
Bush is putting the right kind of pressure on Syria fears military action. The only way to get dictators to cooperate is credible threats of to their regimes. But, for some reason Assad thinks that Syria is needed for peace in the region. If I am Bush I'd give him all stick and no carrot.
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