Posted on 09/01/2002 11:12:17 AM PDT by MadIvan
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is urging Arab and Muslim countries to unite in the face of US threats and "foreign conspiracies" as Washington prepares for a possible attack on Iraq.
Iran's official IRNA newsagency said Assad reiterated Syria's opposition to any US military strike on Baghdad and called for "deeper unity and solidarity among Arab and Muslim countries in the face of American threats against the region."
Enemies of Baghdad
Assad was speaking after a meeting in Damascus with Mohammed Sader, a senior Iranian foreign ministry official.
Syria and Iran, both erstwhile enemies of Baghdad, oppose any strike on Iraq which they fear could spread to target them.
Syria, which has begun rebuilding economic ties with Baghdad in recent years, also fears losing what diplomats claim is a UN sanctions-busting oil trade.
Syria and Iraq say oil deals fall within the UN oil-for-food programme.
Sponsoring terrorism
US President George W. Bush accuses Syria, Iran and Iraq of sponsoring terrorism and has branded Baghdad and Tehran part of an axis of evil bent on acquiring weapons of mass destruction.
Bush has made clear Washington's determination to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but Baghdad has dismissed any suggestion of a tripartite alliance between Iraq, Iran and Syria to face US threats.
IRNA said Assad had called on the region to "challenge the conspiracies woven in foreign circles against the countries of the region."
Regards, Ivan
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm .. urging?? .. could there be not that much support in the Arab world in backing Iraq ???
Or Syria might fear they are next. A legitimate fear considering what type of nonsense they attempt to perpetrate.
Regards, Ivan
Credit where credit is due. At least to this limited extent they are thinking straight!
Refresh my memory.
No, no, no. Haven't you heard all the declarations from Saudi Arabia/Syria/Jordan/Yemen/UAE/Iran/etc? Saddam has the mother of all support. It's a mile wide.
...and an inch deep.
But what's that saying .. Actions speak louder then words??
God forbid there might be a move to abolish things like slavery or give women the right to own property or vote.
Democracy and elections is worse for them than having thermonuclear devices explode in their midst.
Owl_Eagle
Unleash the Hogs of Peace.
That makes two of us.
Yes. That is especially true in the Arab world. Words mean very little. As soon as the war actually begins (if Saddam is not ousted by other means) the Arabs will fall all over themselves in the rush to join the "Great Satan"'s coalition. Once it's all over they'll start up the whining and bragadaccio all over again (albeit with a notable increase in caution and respect).
Another example: Consider Jordan's words about Israel. You would never guess just from what they say that Jordan is one of Israel's closest military allies (in some respects even more important than the United States). Consider what Abdullah II and his Queen say about the Palestine issue. You would never guess that they are, if anything, more circusmpect about the creation of a Palestinian State than Israel is. Now consider that Jordan is one of the best led and most rapidly modernizing states in the Arab world. But still (or maybe even because of this) that can't state the simple truth about nearly any matter of regional import. This should tell you all you need to know about the value of words in the Middle East.
The leaders in Iran must be insane if they think that the US will allow Iran to possess nukes with the threat of sharing them with terrorists.
Any intelligent Iranian on the internet should know that his life depends on some common logic.
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