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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria threatens to take back Golan by force

2009-06-28

*Snicker* How many times have they tried thus far? [Haaretz Defense] Syrian officials threatened on Saturday to take back the Golan Heights by force if a peace agreement involving the return of the strategic plateau is not reached with Israel, Army Radio reported. A group calling itself the Syrian Committee for the Freedom of the Golan said it would take steps to regain control of the territory, adding that Israel has not shown willingness to achieve peace or to return what they called "Syrian land." The comments were made at the inauguration ceremony, attended by Syrian President Bashar Assad, for a new communications center in Quneitra. "The communications center will report on the troubles of Syrian residents residing in the occupied Golan under barbaric and racist Israeli rule," Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal was quoted as saying at the ceremony, in a reference to Druze in the Golan who wish to live under Syrian sovereignty. Last Sunday, Assad rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer to resume peace talks between the two countries from "point zero." Assad said the negotiations should resume from the point at which they stopped under former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, when the two sides had planned to formulate mutual commitments that would enable the talks to move to a direct negotiations stage. The indirect negotiations stopped some six months ago, following Operation Cast Lead, and the announcement of early elections in Israel. Israel gained control of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. Syria insists that the basis for peace talks with Israel is a full withdrawal from the territory. Which will not happen until Israel trusts that Syria will not again use the Heights to rain down missiles on the communities below, which is how the Syrians had used them before. These days the Golan, as a strategic high ground, is over-rated. Longer-range missiles and accurate fire-control means that Syria, if it wishes, can launch missiles at Israel from its own territory today. What's humorous in all this is that the Syrians, as is so typical for them and the Arab mind-set, can't imagine actually making a 'deal' -- it's all about their demands and never about what they'll do in return. Even the ethereal 'peace' they'd offer isn't worth anything and everyone knows that. But their world-view is that the infidels eventually have to accept their something-for-nothing offer.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

'IAF strike ruined chances for peace'

2007-09-25

The alleged September 6 air strike on a Syrian facility has destroyed any chances for peace between Syria and Israel, senior Syrian officials said Monday. The officials in question told Reuters that Damascus had been cautious about responding to the alleged IAF attack because of Israel's military superiority and the fact that other Arab nations "did not support Syria." One could argue that loading chemical weapons onto Scud missiles isn't too healthy for peace between the two countries ... Furthermore, they said, while Syria's troops were "on alert," Syria would not initiate an attack. Earlier Monday, Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal denied a report in Britain's Sunday Times that IDF special forces had collected material from a suspected Syrian nuclear site shortly before the strike. "These are sick delusions, intended to raise the morale of the IDF, which was defeated in Lebanon last year. They're intended only to cause fear among the Arabs," Bilal told Asharq alawsat. According to the Times, the alleged IAF attack was sanctioned by the US after the Americans were given proof that the material was indeed nuclear-related. The sources confirmed that the materials were tested after they were taken from Syria and were found to be of North Korean origin, which raised concerns that Syria may have been trying to come into the possession of nuclear arms. The commandos, who, according to the report, belonged to the legendary General Staff's Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal), may have been disguised in Syrian army uniforms. It was also stated that Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who used to head the unit, personally oversaw the operation. Israeli sources admitted that special forces had been accruing intelligence in Syria for several months, the report said, adding that evidence of North Korean activity at the installation was presented to President George Bush during the summer.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria denies involvement in murder of Lebanon MP

2007-09-23

Syria on Saturday rejected as ‘baseless and without proof’ accusations by Lebanon’s ruling coalition that Damascus was behind Wednesday’s killing of Lebanese MP Antoine Ghanem. The anti-Syrian MP was killed by a car bomb in a Beirut suburb less than a week before Lebanon’s parliament is due to elect a new head of state to replace the pro-Damascus incumbent Emile Lahoud. Syria’s Information Minister Mohsen Bilal, in a statement published on Saturday, said: ‘Accusations made against Syria by the forces of March 14 (the ruling coalition), which are linked to a foreign plan, are allegations without foundation and lacking proof.’ "Da witnesses is all dead!" In his comments in the government newspaper Tishrin, Bilal added: ‘Syria does not intervene in any way in Lebanese internal affairs. It works for entente between all Lebanese in favor of a president who would represent them all, because Syria is in favor of Lebanon’s security, stability and unity.’ The accusations that Damascus was behind Ghanem’s killing came from Saad Hariri, head of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority, and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. ‘The one who killed Antoine Ghanem and his companions ... is the enemy who wishes evil on Lebanon and Syria and who wants to divide still more the two countries and sabotage initiatives aiming at Lebanese national harmony. This enemy wants to sow chaos in Lebanon to enable external plans to be achieved in the region,’ the minister said. Ghanem, 64, is the eighth anti-Syrian personality to be killed since the February 2005 killing of ex-premier Rafik Hariri. Syria’s state news agency SANA on Wednesday ‘strongly denounced the explosion that killed Lebanese deputy Antoine Ghanem and other Lebanese citizens.’ According to Ahmad Hussein a local analyst," this cannot be just a coincidence . None of those murdered is pro-Syrian, " Hussein said. Kinda jumps right out and grabs you, doesn't it? As with regards to a proof of Syria's involvement Hussein added " Syria is too afraid of the proof . Just look what Syria has done in Lebanon against the International Tribunal, thru its Hezbollah led allies. The purpose of the Tribunal after all is to find and prosecute the criminals behind the Hariri assassination and the crimes that followed." Hussein added : "Few therefore will buy Syria's denial of involvement in Ghanem's murder. In fact Syria's ally Hezbollah celebrated the murder in downtown Beirut (where they erected tents since November last year) with fireworks. Other parts of Beirut witnessed similar celebrations by Hezbollah, despite the fact that like Syria Hezbollah has also condemned the assassination."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Emerging connection between North Korea, Iran, Syria and Hezbollah

2007-09-15

A senior U.S. nuclear official said Friday that North Koreans were in Syria and that Damascus may have had contacts with "secret suppliers" to obtain nuclear equipment. Andrew Semmel, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for nuclear nonproliferation policy, did not identify the suppliers, but said North Koreans were in the country and that he could not exclude that the network run by the disgraced Pakistan nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan may have been involved. He said it was not known if the contacts had produced any results. "Whether anything transpired remains to be seen," he said. Strong Evidence Against Hezbollah Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon said Friday that there is clear evidence the Shiite group Hizbullah is still smuggling weapons across the Syrian border in violation of U.N. resolutions. "We find the evidence to be strong that arms smuggling is continuing across the Syrian-Lebanese border," Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman said, without giving any specific details. "We are concerned by the reports and by the public statements by Hizbullah that Hizbullah has actively rearmed." He added: "In our view this poses one of the biggest dangers to Lebanon and it is a violation of the spirit and the letter of a number of Security Council resolutions." Feltman said there were several initiatives under discussion with the Lebanese government on how to halt the smuggling of weapons. Saying that the international community would respond favorably to any Lebanese government request to help in border security, Feltman said "there are several initiatives under discussion with the government about how best to prevent smuggling, most importantly arms smugglings." He also rejected arguments that controlling Lebanon's border with Syria would amount to interfering in the country's sovereignty. "Controlling borders is an assertion of sovereignty," he maintained. Is Syria Building a Nuclear Arsenal? Syria has never commented publicly on its nuclear program. It has a small research nuclear reactor, as do several other countries in the region, including Egypt. While Israel and the U.S. have expressed concerns in the past, Damascus has not been known to make a serious push to develop a nuclear energy or weapons program. Proliferation experts have said that Syria's weak economy would make it hard-pressed to afford nuclear technology, and that Damascus - which is believed to have some chemical weapons stocks - may have taken the position that it does not also need nuclear weapons. Semmel was responding to questions about an Israeli airstrike in northern Syria last week. Neither side has explained what exactly happened, but a U.S. government official confirmed that Israeli warplanes were targeting weapons from Iran and destined for Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. The Washington Post reported Thursday that Israel had gathered satellite imagery showing possible North Korean cooperation with Syria on a nuclear facility. North Korea, which has a longstanding alliance with Syria, condemned the Israeli air incursion. Israeli experts say North Korea and Iran both have been major suppliers of Syria's missile stock. Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal told the Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat on Thursday that the accusations of North Korean nuclear help were a "new American spin to cover up" for Israel. Semmel, who is in Italy for a meeting Saturday on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, said Syria was certainly on the U.S. "watch list." "There are indicators that they do have something going on there," he said. "We do know that there are a number of foreign technicians that have been in Syria. We do know that there may have been contact between Syria and some secret suppliers for nuclear equipment. Whether anything transpired remains to be seen." "So good foreign policy, good national security policy, would suggest that we pay very close attention to that," he said. "We're watching very closely. Obviously, the Israelis were watching very closely." Asked if the suppliers could have been North Koreans, he said: "There are North Korean people there. There's no question about that. Just as there are a lot of North Koreans in Iraq and Iran." Asked if the so-called Khan network, which supplied nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea, could have been involved, he said he "wouldn't exclude" it.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Syria expecting Israeli attack

2007-08-06

Syria is genuinely concerned about an Israeli attack and, as a result, is exhibiting increasing military activity, Military Intelligence's head of research Brig.-Gen. Yossi Baidatz told the cabinet on Sunday. Baidatz repeated what the cabinet has been told numerous times over the last few months, that the increased Syrian activity is of a defensive, not offensive, nature, and that the Syrians are not interested in a war with Israel. "The Syrians continue to be concerned about an Israeli attack," Baidatz said. This concern comes despite Israeli signals to the contrary. Just last Tuesday, for example, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert - in reference to persistent rumors of an impending war - said: "I believe, with all my heart, that this summer and the fall will not be too hot. There is no reason to exaggerate in creating an atmosphere of the eve of war. Our neighbors know well that we prefer sitting and discussing peace with them, rather than proving to them that we are stronger." Baidatz said Damascus was interested in peace with Israel on its terms, and that recent comments by President Bashar Assad and other Syrian leaders reflected this. Their terms, however, include a full Israeli withdrawal to the June 4, 1967, lines. On the same day that Baidatz was talking about a Syrian interest in peace, however, Damascus's Information Minister Mohsen Bilal was quoted as having launched a harsh attack on Israel and the US, comparing both countries to a snake "ready to attack at any minute, even if it knows it will die." According to Israel Radio, Bilal, speaking to the Persian Gulf newspaper Al-Hilaj, characterized Israel as an "immoral" nation lacking in values. As proof of this assertion, he said former president Moshe Katsav had raped a "young daughter of his people." The minister also criticized Saudi Arabia for expressing a willingness to participate in the planned regional meeting initiated by US President George W. Bush. Baidatz also told the cabinet that he believed the West Bank might soon see Fatah-Hamas clashes, and described violent episodes between the two sides that have taken place there in recent weeks. He said that despite attempts by various players - including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Russia - to bring Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leaders together for a dialogue, the rift between the two sides continued. Baidatz said that while the Fatah-controlled PA security forces were attempting to reduce Hamas's influence in the West Bank, they were largely relying on the IDF to carry out this task. Relying on the evil Joooooz to do that they can't do? Doesn't that tell you everything about the Paleos?

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria: Accept Arab initiative or we'll resort to violence

2007-04-16

Quick! Send Pelosi on the road to peace....) Article appropriately has a picture of her and pencil neck. Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal threatened on Monday evening to return the Golan Heights to Syrian hands "by way of resistance If Israel [rejected] the Arab peace initiative." One can only hope that they would be so stupid. It would be a great excuse to start cleaning out the western part of the ME. Bilal did not elaborate but some analysts raised the possibilities of either a full scale conventional war or a terror campaign in the Golan as one of the means to undertake a mukawama (resistance in Arabic). After saying that "Syria wishes to revive the peace process with Israel with the help of US and Russian mediators," Bilal immediately added a threat, saying that "If Israel [rejected] the Arab peace initiative, the only way to get the Golan Heights back would be the way of resistance." Bilal was speaking at a press conference in Damascus, referring to the Arab peace initiative of 2002. Bilal's belligerent remarks follow on the heels of a visit by Syrian-born American businessman, Abe Suleiman, to Jerusalem last week. Suleiman promised the Foreign Affairs and Defense committee of the Knesset that "peace with Syria could be achieved within six months." George Jabour, a Syrian member of parliament, said Suleiman was speaking on his own behalf and was in no way affiliated with the Syrian leadership. "Suleiman has zero credibility in the eyes of Syrians," Jabour said. Bilal echoed Jabour statements in an interview he gave on Syrian TV on Saturday, quoted by SANA (the Syrian Arab News Agency). He said that all the Syrian people stood behind President Bashar Assad's leadership for the achievement of just and comprehensive peace in the region. He defined this "just and comprehensive peace" as the restoration of the "whole occupied Syrian Golan," what remained of the Lebanese territories under occupation, and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Bilal also demanded the recognition of the Palestinian refugees right to return to their homeland. ... the kitchen sink, and a pony. While Bilal echoed the tenets of the Arab peace initiative, rejected by Israel wholesale, his demands went beyond the more recent Saudi initiative, which remains vague on the question of the right of return. Jerusalem did not fully accept the Saudi initiative as well, saying only that it contained a basis for further negotiations. During the Second Lebanon War, Syria made peace overtures by agreeing to "unconditional" negotiations with Israel. However, as soon as a ceasefire was achieved and Syria no longer feared possible engagement with the IDF as part of its campaign against Hizbullah, the Syrian leadership denied any willingness for unconditional negotiations. AoS note: please see the re-formatting I did for this post. You left off the closing '>' on the /span arguments which could rather wreck havoc on our formatting. Also, please put posts in their proper category -- Syra-Lebanon-Iran, in this case. Thank you. AoS.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

'Damascus played key role in sailors' release'

2007-04-05

Syria's information minister and foreign minister said Wednesday that Damascus had played a key role in resolving the standoff over the 15 British sailors held by Iran. Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said that Syria had been asked "to help positively in the issue of British sailors" since their March 23 seizure by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard navy in the Persian Gulf waters. "Syrian efforts and the Iranian willingness culminated with the release of the British sailors," Bilal said but did not provide details. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told reporters that "Syria exercised a sort of quiet diplomacy to solve this problem and encourage dialogue between the two parties," referring to Britain and Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced in Tehran on Wednesday that the 15 member British crew would be freed.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Venezuela to back Syria, Iran against US

2007-01-22

CARACAS, Jan 21: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez vowed on Sunday that his government would always back US foes Syria and Iran in the face of threats from Washington. The United States “is an empire of madmen,” Chavez, who has accused Washington of wanting to topple him, said in his weekly radio television show “Hello President.” ”They threaten Syria. We will always be with Syria and Iran,” he told Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal, who was a guest in the broadcast. “They want to remove our brother (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad.” Chavez visited Syria and Iran last year and expects a visit from Assad sometime this year. He met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Caracas a week ago.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Brother says Castro recovery 'satisfactory'

2006-08-31

PROVISIONAL Cuban leader Raul Castro said his brother Fidel Castro's recovery from gastrointestinal surgery was "gradual and satisfactory", the official newspaper Granma said today. The statement on Fidel Castro's health came during a meeting on Sunday between Raul Castro and visiting Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal, the daily said. Raul Castro, 75, informed Bilal of his 80-year-old brother's “gradual and satisfactory recovery,” since he was operated on late last month and handed the reins of power to his younger brother. He also said “absolute tranquility reigned” in Cuba and that the entire population was behind the decision “to significantly raise the war capacity and disposition” of Cuba's armed forces. "It takes a gallon of rum and two live chickens a day, but he's hangin' in there!"

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Arab media slam Syrian president

2006-08-19

JPost - Caught via Captain's QuartersSyria's president sparked a wave of anger after he knocked Mideast leaders as "half men" in a televised speech, underlining the divisions as Arab nations try to form a unified front in the wake of the Lebanon crisis. The bitterness over Bashar Assad's speech last week will likely stir up a gathering of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on Sunday. The meeting is supposed to pave the way for a summit of heads of state later in the month that will draw up plans to help rebuild Lebanon - and try to launch a new Arab peace initiative with Israel. So far governments have not commented on Assad's jibes - instead, the task has been left to newspapers in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan - some of which are state-guided - which have been sizzling with personal and direct attacks on Assad the like of which the region has not seen directed against an Arab leader in years. One paper described the Syrian president as a rose that has failed to bloom. Another berated him for remaining silent throughout Israel's offensive on Lebanon. And a third mocked all his talk about resistance when not a single bullet has been fired from Syria toward the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Assad had been silent throughout the 34 days of fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hizbullah, a Syrian ally. But the day after a cease-fire set in, he gave his speech. He said the Lebanon war had "unveiled half men" - a reference to the opposition of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan to Hizbullah's abduction of two IDF soldiers that triggered the July 12 fighting. Assad's undiplomatic rhetoric, unusual for this Arab regime that has long seen itself as the champion of Arab nationalism, suggested he was deepening his move away from the Arab world's heavyweights allied to Washington and closer to Persian Iran. If so, it could mean greater isolation for Damascus, which has been under intense international pressure since last year's assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Syria has widely been blamed for the murder, but it has denied any link. "Syria would've reaped benefits, including an easing of the pressure it's been under, had (Assad's) speech been more moderate," said Jamil Nimri, a prominent Jordanian analyst. "But the speech has set things back and Syria has lost deep Arab solidarity," he added. "It is now in a worse situation that it was at the start of the war." Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said Assad's words were a "reproach among brothers ... especially at a time of crisis," according to SANA, the official Syrian news agency. Bilal said Assad enjoys "friendly and brotherly relations" with Saudi King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Saudi, Egyptian and Jordanian officials have remained largely silent. "I hope the Syrians will appreciate the advantage of maintaining a unified Arab stand," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud said in one of the few government reactions. But media in those countries have been fierce in denouncing Assad. "If you meant Arab leaders when you said half men, then please clarify what makes you different from them," wrote Salwa al-Sharafi in Elaph, a Saudi-owned online publication. Aziz al-Haj, also writing in Elaph, said "Assad trembles at the thought of merely a bullet being fired from Syria on Israelis" in the Golan Heights, the strategic plateau Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war. That front has been quiet for decades. An editorial in Egypt's El-Akhbar daily titled "Half a decision for half an official" said many were surprised that Assad "remained silent during the war ... and didn't take half a decision to respond to the treacherous Israeli offensive on Lebanon."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria Says It Will Press for Cease-Fire

2006-07-24

Syria, one of Hezbollah's main backers, said Sunday it will press for a cease-fire and was willing to engage in direct talks with the United States to help end the fighting between Israel and the Islamic militant group. But Syrian officials said Damascus would only cooperate within the framework of a broader Middle East peace initiative that would include a return of the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in 1967 and annexed in 1981, and warned they will not stand by if the Israelis step up their offensive. "Syria and Spain are working to achieve a cease-fire, a prisoners' swap and to start a peace process as one package," Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal was quoted as saying by the Spanish daily newspaper ABC. "Syria is working on achieving real, comprehensive, fair peace based on the withdrawal from all the occupied territories, including the Golan." It was unlikely Israel would agree to such a deal, but the remarks were the first indication of Syria's willingness to be involved in international efforts to defuse the Lebanese crisis. Damascus is one of the Arab world's strongest opponents of Israel. The Jewish state has said it had no plans to target Syria or Iran, Hezbollah's other main backer, in the current conflict. "If Israel invades Lebanon and enters it by land ... then we will not stand with our hands tied," Bilal said in Madrid after talks with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos. Bilal's interview was also carried on the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency. Syria's ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, suggested his country was ready for direct talks with Washington on ending the fighting in Lebanon. If the United States wants to involve Syria in the diplomatic efforts, "of course Damascus is more than willing to engage," Moustapha said on CBS'"Face the Nation." The Bush administration has rejected calls for a quick cease-fire, saying its diplomatic efforts would focus on finding a strategy for confronting Hezbollah and its Syrian and Iranian backers. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton dismissed the idea of talks with Syria. Syria "doesn't need dialogue to know what they need to do. They need to lean on Hezbollah to get them to release the two captured Israeli soldiers and stop the launch of rockets against innocent Israeli civilians," he told "Fox News Sunday."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria threatens to join fight, Ahmadinejad: Israel pushed button of its own destruction

2006-07-23

MADRID - Syria will enter the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah if Israel Defense Forces ground troops enter Lebanon and approach Syria, Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said in an interview published on Sunday. "If Israel invades Lebanon over ground and comes near to us, Syria will not sit tight. She will join the conflict," he told "ABC" newspaper. Oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please ... U.S. ally Qatar is involved in mediation to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah, senior political sources said Sunday. The sources said Qatar, which has not signed a peace treaty with Israel but enjoys friendly ties with it, had intensified its diplomacy in recent days directly with Israeli officials and also with Hezbollah through Lebanese officials. "The Qataris are mediating between Israel and Hezbollah to end the current crisis in Lebanon," one senior political source told Reuters. The sources did not give details. Asked for Israel's reaction, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said: "Qatar is a country that we have met in the past ... If Qatar is working behind the scenes to secure the release of the hostages, that is a good thing." Qatar and European countries have criticized Israel's offensive while the United States, Israel's closest ally, has resisted growing calls for a ceasefire and joined Israel in blaming the Iranian-backed Hezbollah for the crisis. Ahmadinejad: Israel pushed button of its own destruction Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadeinejad declared Sunday that Israel had "pushed the button of its own destruction" by launching its military campaign against Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. Ahmadinejad didn't elaborate, but suggested that Islamic nations and others could somehow isolate Israel and its main backers, led by the United States. On Saturday, the chairman of Iran's armed forced joint chiefs, Major General Sayyed Hassan Firuzabadi, said Iran would never join the current Middle East fighting. "Britain and the United States are accomplices of the Zionist regime in its crimes in Lebanon and Palestine," Ahmadinejad said. He said "the people of the region will respond" unless Israel and its allies apologize for their policies. "Arrogant powers have set up a base for themselves to threaten and plunder nations in the region," he said. "But today, the occupier regime [Israel] - whose philosophy is based on threats, massacre and invasion - has reached its finishing line." In Tehran, the government has sanctioned billboards showing Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah and a message that it is the duty of Muslims to "wipe out" Israel.

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