Syria's Assad criticises U.S. "lack of foresight"

Reuters | 4/02/03

[kattracks]

Syria's Assad criticises U.S. "lack of foresight"

DAMASCUS, April 2 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accused the United States of dangerous lack of foresight after a top U.S. official warned Damascus not to back Iraq.

"The problem is that officials in the United States are used to imposing their opinions on others," Assad said in an interview with Austria's Der Standard newspaper, reported in Arabic by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on Wednesday.

"An official making a threat is not what is dangerous. What is dangerous is the lack of foresight by that official," he said without specifying an official by name.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell warned Damascus on Sunday it was facing a critical choice and urged it to abandon its support for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Assad, a stern opponent of the war against his fellow Arab neighbour, warned that any miscalculation by Washington would put the whole world in jeopardy and voiced discomfort with U.S. policies.

"If a small country made a mistake it might affect its neighbours, but if a superpower committed a mistake it would threaten the whole world.

"The disquieting reality that we see is the reality of the world and that of the world's greatest country," he said.

Syria has rejected U.S. charges that military supplies were being transported to Iraq from its territory and said the U.S. accusations were an attempt by Washington to turn attention away from its "crimes" against Iraqi civilians.

Assad described his country's relations with the United States as that of "contradictions" noting that although the two countries did not agree on war against Iraq, they were cooperating in the war against "terrorism."

"There is no generalisation in the relations with the United States," he said. "As far as we are concerned, we always try to look for points of agreement and not the opposite."

Assad said the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush was "not at all interested" in pushing forward the Arab-Israeli peace process, nor was Israel.

"Israel is not ready and the United States does not have the vision and interest in the peace process, therefore we do not see hope in peace soon," he said.

Assad reiterated that Damascus wants a peace that is based on the implementation of United Nations resolutions that require Israel to give back Arab territories it occupied and secure the return of Palestinian refugees.

04/02/03 14:48 ET

[CheneyChick]

His mother had the foresight to get the first three letters of his name right.

[TexanToTheCore]

You're in waaaaaay over your head, dude. You need to back up and see the big picture.

[yonif]

I have a foresight that the terrorist state of Syria does not have much long to breath.

[jerrymdss]

Shutup Assad -- you are a rambling man.

[grobdriver]

Keep your people and your weapons on your side of the border and there's no problem.
Otherwise our officials had plenty of foresight to bring plenty of bombs, tanks, bullets and mean-ass Marines.

[Gefreiter]

I might wonder about Syria's lack of foresight in encouraging combatants to enter a war against the US and friends.

[JeeperFreeper]

I think it's a typo. ASSad actually said he thinks it's a bad idea for him to be in fore of the sight aimed him.

[denydenydeny]

"The problem is that officials in the United States are used to imposing their opinions on others,"

[Zavien Doombringer]

Hind sight is 20/20...

[lilylangtree]

I would speculate that Syria help supply Hussein with chemical and biological weapons. That's one of the reasons Syria wants Hussein to stay in power.

[malakhi]

Bashar al-Assad:

[johniegrad]

"The disquieting reality that we see is the reality of the world and that of the world's greatest country," he said.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

[johniegrad]

Grad picture?

[KeyWest]

Take a look at what he has to look forward to. Surrounded by friends of the US. If I were him, I would not take out a long term care policy.

[colorado tanker]

noting that although the two countries did not agree on war against Iraq, they were cooperating in the war against "terrorism." "As far as we are concerned, we always try to look for points of agreement and not the opposite."

Translation: OK, I got caught but please don't hurt me. I'll go clean my room and be good.

[Mr. Mojo]

"The disquieting reality that we see is the reality of the world and that of the world's greatest country," he [Assad] said.

Well, at least he admits it.

[UKCajun]

Looks like a cocaine addict to me.

[Semper Vigilantis]

Maybe he'll take a lesson from chirac on when to keep his mouth closed.
Expect a Syrian official to start making nice soon.

[45Auto]

"The disquieting reality that we see is...... that of the world's greatest country"when it has finally had enough of our Arab BS"

I guess it is a little disquieting to see that the US under true leadership (instead of that phoney a**wipe, Bill The Rat)can literally remove any damn government that supports, harbors and encourages terrorism - like what Syria is doing in Lebanon. The idea that Assad's a** may be next, could be a little "disquieting".