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Posted on 06/14/2002 7:25:14 AM PDT by xvb
Bush Refuses To Meet Syrian Minister, Report Says
By Julie Stahl
CNSNews.com Jerusalem Bureau Chief
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - President Bush refused to meet with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara following last week's deadly car bombing in Israel, and that has prompted Shara to cancel his trip to Washington, Israel Radio reported on Friday.
Islamic Jihad, which is headquartered in Damascus, claimed responsibility for the attack a few days before Syria was due to take up the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council.
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said Israel knew that the attack at Megiddo junction had been carried out on orders from Syria. The blast killed 17 Israelis and wounded 37 others.
Syria, which is on the State Department's list of countries that sponsor terrorism, has been under fire from Israel in the Security Council this week. In a speech to the council on Thursday, Israel's Ambassador to the U.N. Yehuda Lancry blasted Syria for its involvement in terrorism.
"Israel is appalled by the conduct of the Syrian government, its obstruction of the path of peace in the region, and the subversion of any efforts at reconciliation between Israel and its neighbors, all the more so in light of the fact that the international community has entrusted it with guiding the work of the Security Council in defense of international peace and security," Lancry told the 15-member council.
Lancry quoted a dispatch from state-controlled Radio Damascus praising "the wonderful and special suicide attacks" on May 9, two days after a suicide bomber killed 15 people in a pool hall near Tel Aviv.
In response, Syrian Ambassador Mikhail Wehbe said Israel had stepped up attacks on Syria lately "to cover up the crimes and destruction and terrorism" Israel was perpetrating against the Palestinians.
Earlier in the week, Lancry sent a letter to the president of the Security Council - Syrian Ambassador Wehbe - decrying Syria for supporting terrorism. As president of the Council, Wehbe was obliged to circulate the letter to the rest of the Security Council members.
Wonder exactly what they gained by the terrorist attack? Seems to be a loss of power instead of any gain in their world standing. Looks like it proves they belong on the list of terrorist nations.
Remember pathetic little Warren Christopher, sitting there in Damascus begging for an audience with the butcher Assad?
I have a feeling that GWB remembered that one.
It was said in earlier reports that the person most responsible for advising Bush to continue negotiating with the Palestinians after 9/11 was Blair. Blair may have had more of an impact on Bush in this regard than Colin Powell. He managed to position himself as our closest ally in the war against terror, and indeed the Brits contributed considerably to the Afghanistan war. But by this time it must be pretty obvious to Bush that Blair's Middle-Eastern policy is a fiasco.
That's not good enough!!!!
AND ARE WE ALL GOING TO JUST SIT ON OUR HANDS UNTIL WE LOSE?
Clinton administration = ship of fools.
It matters not if the nation is Russia, Israel, Syria or India. When they do what Dubya wants he is very nice. When they don't he gives them nice slap up the side of the head.
Gradually over time we will continue to exercise real power to bring down the bad governments. About a third of the way through the bad guys, the remaider will figure out that the way to not be overthown is to change from a bad guy to a good guy.
The FIRST goal is mostly likely to isolate Sadam and take him down. Then isolate the next bad actor, and take him down. It is much easier to take a Sadam down if he is isolated. That does not mean to encourage Syria to form an alliance with Sadam. It meas make Syria neutral. Then pick the next worst bad state, isolate, and take down. Then repeat again.
At some point sooner rather than later, bad actors are going to try to audition for good guy parts.
The last thing we want is 1 billion Muslims united against us. Divide and conquer. That is the way to win with the least possible cost.
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