Posted on 01/28/2006 7:43:00 PM PST by jmc1969
Senior source in Damascus tells Ynet Syrian leader Assad interested in deal that would allow him to stay in power; the price: Incriminating senior officials behind Hariri killing, cutting aid to anti-U.S. fighters in Iraq. Assad still refusing to dismantle Hizbullah
Syria's Assad wants a deal: Syrian President Bashar Assad is engaged in advanced contacts with the U.S. and France in a bid to work out an agreement that will allow him to stay in power, a senior source in Damascus told Ynet.
According to the source, the contacts are being undertaken through Saudi intermediation and are meant to resolve the international crisis currently faced by the Syrian leadership.
The deal being worked out is reportedly based on the following understandings: Two senior Syria officials, General Rustom Ghazaleh and one of his assistants, Jameh Jameh, will be incriminated in connection with the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Meanwhile, Assad himself and particularly his brother-in-law, Asef Shawkat, will be cleared of involvement in the killing.
Moreover, the Syrians are expected to end their support for anti-American elements operating in Iraq and pledge to tighten border controls and act to end arms transfers into Iraq.
The Syrians will also pledge to minimize their cooperation with Iran, which is funding and directing many of the groups fighting American troops. Notably, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Damascus a week ago.
The Iranian-Syrian connection is raising concern in the West, particularly in light of reports that the Iranian leader was accompanied in the visit by arch-terrorist Imad Mughniyeh, one of the world's most wanted terror figures.
(Excerpt) Read more at ynetnews.com ...
Senior source in Damascus tells Ynet Syrian leader Assad interested in deal that would allow him to stay in power; the price: Incriminating senior officials behind Hariri killing, cutting aid to anti-U.S. fighters in Iraq. Assad still refusing to dismantle Hizbullah
How about giving up all the WMC saddass insane sent to your country !
WMC=WMD
Absolute BS. I have heard these rumors about this deal for so long. President Bush does not cut deals with terrorist regimes like the one in Damascus. What he says in public he will do behind the door. It seems that many people do not understand this simple fact about him.
Bwaaaahahahahaha!
State steps on it again.
Condi will believe it, and of course, nothing will change.
Assad either dies, or not.
Correct, which means he is scared. No need to deal with a scared man. Just destroy him or watch him destroy himself. He is definitely not negotiating from a position of strength. Those he is offering to give up won't be too pleased either.
Of course, none of this may be true.
FYI
That would be worthy of consideration....would hurt Hamas....
How exactly is Assad in any danger of losing power? Does anyone really think that there is any chance we would go in and take him out?
It sounds like Junior in Syria is getting very worried that when we deal with Iran, he's getting thrown in as a twofer, and wants to head that off.
Now an ex-general writes a book telling about how WMDs went to Syria before the war and despite the Hamas victory, Assad seems to be willing to negotiate. A year ago, if none of the other good things had happened, and I told you Assad was willing to negotiate, you would say I'm nuts. So what is it? Is it a confluence of events, do we finally have the drop on him? Did we need to clean up enough of the cesspool in Iraq before we could effectively put enough pressure on him? Something has changed over there and its more than subtle. The press hasn't caught on and never will......but this is really interesting news.
This is an astute and accurate observation -
As for the ex-Iraqi General......Don't put much stock in what he says specifically (though I'm not rushing to suggest everything he says isn't true)....but plenty is very suspect.
From the beginning our CIC has been clear. This was going to be a long war, a different kind of war.
It has and will be that. But make no mistake we are systematically defeating our enemies. Since Sept 11th our enemies have suffered one strategic defeat after another....we have not suffered one.
Our Intel capabilities continue to increase and from that we become more effective and efficient by the day.
sounds like those senior officials will cap a couple in assads ass for selling them out.... looks like a win win for us.
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