Posted on 09/25/2005 8:56:45 PM PDT by SmithL
Arab leaders and citizens from across the region are coming to the defense of Syria as it faces increased American pressure and a probing UN inquiry. In the latest efforts, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Cairo for two hours, after which Egypt publicly denounced the idea of Syrian isolation.
"The Egyptian proposal rejects isolating Syria and calls for achieving stability in the region and not opening a new focus of tension that adds to an already complicated situation," Egyptian presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad said.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia, both US allies, have united to stem US pressure, reported the US Arabic-language radio SAWA last week.
The heightened tension began two weeks ago when US President George Bush warned Syria it would face isolation over the issues of Iraq and Lebanon.
"The [Syrian] government is going to become more and more isolated as a result of two things: one, not being cooperative with the Iraqi government in terms of securing Iraq, and two, not being fully transparent about what they did in Lebanon," the president stated.
Bush did not specify what he referred to in Lebanon, but a couple of days later US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on other countries in the international community to pressure Syria "because it might have known of what had taken place in Lebanon."
It is widely assumed that Syria was involved in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri this past February. Damascus continues to deny the accusations, while the UN investigation has already implicated senior pro-Syrian Lebanese figures.
Last week Detlev Mehlis, chairman of the UN investigation committee on the assassination, visited Syria with Assad's permission and questioned senior Syrian officials who served in Lebanon at the time of the assassination, along with other high ranking figures. The list includes Syrian Minister of Interior and former chairman of Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon Lt.-Gen. Ghazi Kanaan and his successor Maj.-Gen. Rostom Ghazaleh who left Lebanon in April when Syria withdrew its forces.
Mubarak encouraged Syria to allow the investigation of Syrian officials to continue freely, and Assad reportedly agreed. The results of the UN probe are due on October 25.
The Washington Post reported that Syria was interested in a deal with the US that would relieve Syria of pressure in exchange for concessions, but the US refused the offer.
Syria is also under US and Iraqi verbal fire over the insurgents crossing its border into Iraq. Last week the UN Security Council held a meeting concerning Iraq, which Syria was not invited to. During the meeting Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoyshar Zebari accused Syria of not doing enough to stop the flow of insurgents into Iraq.
Syrian Ambassador to the UN Faisal Miqdad told journalists after the meeting that Syria had deployed 10,000 soldiers along its borders and spent millions of dollars to build a barrier, and complained that the US and Iraq are not doing enough to guard the border from the Iraqi side.
In the weeks following Bush's statement, Arab leaders, lawyers and newspapers from Yemen to Sudan expressed their support for Syria and condemned the US attempts to isolate it.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail told the Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai al-Aam that Syria is targeted by Israel and hardliners in the US administration and that Arabs must be aware against the danger to all them.
Last week a flood of solidarity visitors showed up on Assad's doorstep. A large delegation of Arab lawyers met with Assad to "boost [Syria's] position to defend Arab rights and causes," reported the Arabic News on its Web site.
The Yemenite Unionist People's Liberation Party expressed "solidarity with Syria in facing the American and Israeli schemes and pressures against it" in a statement issued Tuesday, reported Arabic News.
Arab newspapers reported that the real reason for the pressure on Syria was to deflect pressure from the Bush administration.
UAE daily Al-Bayan wrote, "They are diverting the attention of the American people away from internal frustrations that are facing Bush administration."
According to Egypt's Al-Ahram daily, "It is also tied with the USA's failure to stop the Iraq resistance against its military forces in Iraq."
Arab Bar Association (ABA) Secretary General Ibrahim al-Samlali said that threatening Syria constitutes a direct threat against the Arab nation.
Yemen and Sudan have expressed their support for Syria and condemned US attempts to isolate the country. Many of the countries also accuse Israel of being behind the US-led pressure.
A delegation of American academics also made a solidarity visit to Damascus last week.
"A delegation of American academics also made a solidarity visit to Damascus last week."
GEE, WHAT A SURPRISE!!!!!!!
Looks like it will soon be us against the world. Well, might as well get it all out in the open rather than all the pretend stuff of the past where we paid and they lied.
Fine Hosni, You put your troops on the Syrian side of the border since we can't trust the Syrians. When the terrorists continue to infiltrate we will know its not just a Syrian problems.
Mubarak gets over $2.5 billion in US aid. Shut it off, I'll enjoy the howls.
Remind me why we funnel billions of dollars to the Egyptian regime each year?
Yeah, I remember the old UAR, it was supposed to scare Israel to death. /snicker
Mubarak encouraged Syria to allow the investigation of Syrian officials to continue freely, and Assad reportedly agreed
Sure! One thug proposes and another one agrees. Wink, wink, nod, nod. All the same.
Let Iraq stabalize first, and Syria will fall.
This is the old political shill game. We say we give them billions ( maybe) and Mubarik says outloud he is with the Arabs. Then we get what we want behind the curtain. Relax, he is "more " on our side than not, and at this point that will have to do. (That is until we go into Syria).
Yes, this is true, but I would like to take him out. Of all the countries ripe for democracy, I think Egypt rates ahead of all others.
Ahhh..."patience is the precursor to the MOAB."
HA!
Fine by me. Make it harder to miss.
Um, I thinks it was to reward Egypt for ditching The Soviet Union during the cold war....
gee, libeals going to show solidarity with syria and meet with the arab bar association. wtf is the arab bar association? alexander the great among others said lawyers should be dealt with first, does anyone here deny his wisdom?
"The Washington Post reported that Syria was interested in a deal with the US that would relieve Syria of pressure in exchange for concessions, but the US refused the offer."
Here's a deal. Stay out of Lebanon and Iraq, stop supporting Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, stop killing the Kurds, and we'll leave you alone.
Because Clinton promised them a king's ransom to go along with his photo-op "peace" plan.
Remember when they were holed up at Camp David, and Clinton would come out now and then to announce how hard he was working? Yeah, he was working out how much the bribe to Mubarak was going to be.
**Bush did not specify what he referred to in Lebanon, but a couple of days later US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on other countries in the international community to pressure Syria "because it might have known of what had taken place in Lebanon."**
Wait a minute, "because it might have known", only known, not done??????????
That is a blunt honorable discharge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is the last step in a deal struck behind closed doors.
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