[iwar] [fc:Syria.sponsors.terrorism]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-10-21 09:45:35

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From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
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Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 09:45:35 -0700 (PDT)
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Subject: [iwar] [fc:Syria.sponsors.terrorism]
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Daily Telegraph -- Saturday 20 Oct 2001

Syria sponsors terrorism

ISRAEL has rightly served Yasser Arafat with an ultimatum following the
assassination of Rehavam Ze'evi, the tourism minister: either he arrests
and hands over the perpetrators or he will be treated as a terrorist
leader.  Ariel Sharon, the prime minister, has also broken off contacts
with the Palestinian Authority and sent troops into four areas under its
control, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jenin and Beit Jala.  However, he shows no
sign of extending his riposte to Syria, which houses the headquarters of
the group claiming to have committed the murder, the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). 

Since the bombing of America on September 11, the Syrian government has
played its usual canny game.  On the one hand, it has positioned itself
on the right side of the anti-terrorism coalition by condemning the
attacks.  On the other, while being careful to avoid direct involvement
in terrorism, it remains the headquarters of a wide range of violent
Islamist groups vowed to the destruction of Israel.  As the "protector"
of Lebanon, it also allows the Iranian-backed Hizbollah a free run in
the southern part of that country. 

Over the past five weeks the image of responsible player on the
international scene has prevailed over that of rogue state.  On October
8, Syria was elected a non-permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council for the period 2002-2003.  This week, Colin Powell, the
American secretary of state, has urged it to resume the peace talks with
Israel broken off at the beginning of last year.  As in 1990, when they
joined the American-led coalition after Saddam Hussein's invasion of
Kuwait, the Syrians have played their cards well.  Nothing has changed
in their stubborn hostility to Israel since Bashar al-Assad succeeded
his father, Hafiz, last year; during the Pope's visit to Damascus in
May, the son notoriously accused the Jews of killing first Christ, then
the Palestinians.  Yet Syria, one of the main sponsors of violent
Islamic radicals in the Middle East, has escaped censure in the
anti-terrorist campaign launched by George Bush. 

That is understandable at a time when the allies are preoccupied with
Afghanistan.  Yet in any extension of the global war on terrorism
Damascus does not deserve to be so lucky.  It provides headquarters for
about 10 militant Islamist groups, among them Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Al Saiqa and the PFLP. 
In Lebanon, over which Syria has held sway since the Ta'if Agreement of
1989, Hizbollah, the Shi'ite militia, has strengthened its position in
the south following the withdrawal of Israeli forces in May 2000, thus
making northern Galilee more vulnerable to attack.  Three men suspected
of belonging to the group are on the Bush Administration's most wanted
terrorist list. 

For the moment, the allies are concentrating on defeating Osama bin
Laden while going through the motions of reviving Middle East peace
talks in order to keep the Arabs within the anti-terrorism coalition. 
When that phase is over, Syria should be confronted with a choice on the
lines of that presented by Israel to Mr Arafat: either it closes the
Islamist offices in Damascus and allows the Lebanese army into southern
Lebanon, or it will be deemed a rogue state and liable to punitive
military action. 

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