Arab Change of Heart

OK, so it’s from Debka, not exactly a model of reliability, but it is still interesting nonetheless.

A. Documents coming to light in Baghdad directly incriminate Syria as a full partner in the financing, development and concealment of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programs. A source familiar with the new data reveals that Syria was not only a full partner but active in every stage of these programs to the point that they deserve to be called Iraqi-Syrian, not just Iraqi, undertakings. Well before the UN weapons inspectors came on the scene last year, the Syrian president Bashar Assad took it upon himself to conceal the banned weapons, one by one, as they came off the production line. Syria’s support for Iraq in the UN Security Council and the attacks leveled by foreign minister Farouk a-Sharah against Washington, for venturing to accuse Iraq of concealing weapons of mass destruction, were staged to misdirect attention from the biggest political, intelligence and military fraud perpetrated since the Cold War ended. Washington’s indignation over these discoveries has been manifested in a torrent of warnings to, and charges against Damascus in the last three days. Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld took the opportunity of the warm welcome he gave the visiting Kuwait ruler on Monday, April 14, to produce intelligence that Syria had conducted chemical weapons tests in the last year. He could have said more. According to DEBKAfile’s Washington sources, the defense secretary was also informed that in the same period Syria test-fired missiles fitted with chemical warheads from Aleppo in the north to Djebel Druze in the south near the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordan border junction. Damascus carried out the test on behalf of the Iraqi-Syrian partnership for developing unconventional weapons. B. The details of the comprehensive military collaboration treaty Assad secretly concluded with the now deposed Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein that were first exposed in DEBKAfile in September 2000 are only now emerging in full. Under its terms, Syria was bound to furnish an escape hatch for fleeing Iraqi military, political, scientific and intelligence top echelons working on the banned weapons programs, as well as providing concealed locations for production to continue. Damascus was therefore committed to taking over the shared WMD projects from the point they were interrupted by a war emergency in Baghdad. C. This discovery relates to the aid rendered Syria by France. DEBKAfile’s exclusive intelligence and military sources reveal that, from Monday night, April 14, groups of Iraqi military and scientific leaders have been transferred from Syria to France. This came about as a result of President Chirac consenting to help Assad live up to his commitments to Saddam Hussein and keep their forbidden weapons out of sight and their existence denied. These discoveries led the Bush administration to slap down before Damascus a three-part ultimatum: 1. First, in view of Syria’s long record as sponsor of terror, the Assad regime is required to dismantle at once the command centers of the Lebanese Hizballah and the Palestinian Jihad Islami and Hamas Damascus headquarters and turn their leaders over to the United States. A list of names is supplied. 2. To hand over without delay all the weapons of mass destruction on its territory, whether they are “Iraqi” or “Syrian”. 3. To surrender to the Americans at once every one of the hundreds of Iraqi regime members, including Saddam kinsmen, granted asylum in Syria. Assad’s failure to deliver would result in the United States acting to force his compliance.

All well and interesting, but given the source, still not a solid enough reason to send the military home via Damascus. If Colin Powell, say, were to present the same evidence, I might have to reconsider my stance on Syria. If true, points A & B are pretty damning of Syria and Baby Assad. Point C simply reinforces the fact that Jacques Chirac is first-rate jerk who is unrelenting in his efforts to destroy Western Civilization as we know it by the coddling of terrorists and two bit dictators.

Of course the reported Arab reaction to all this was pretty entertaining also:

Washington’s ultimatum evoked a frantic Arab reaction. Saudi foreign minister Saudi Al-Faisal went to Damascus to warn the Syrian ruler of grave consequences should he persist in defying the Americans. He advised him to call an urgent Arab foreign ministers meeting for Friday, April 18, and ask the Arab world to back him up in meeting Washington’s demands. The Syrian ruler has not yet informed the Saudi minister of his intentions.

Think about the significance of the change here. Six months ago the Saudi foreign minister would have running to Damascus to warn of the grave consequences of ignoring the Arab street. Six months ago, he would have been calling for an emergency meeting to back Damascus in defying Washington’s demands. Kind of amazing what a little reinforcement of our resolve can do.

It is sounding more and more like we’re training the crosshairs on Baby Assad and the tyrants of Syria. If we’re planning on heading into Damascus, the Administration needs to make a case. I think what is really happening is that Rumsfeld is talking while Powell negotiates. When Powell starts talking to us more than them and Rummy goes off into Cheney’s secret world that is when I think we are really going in. Hopefully, a little bluster after our show of resolve will be enough to get Syria to back off and to reform.

But I doubt it, which is why we need to start making a public case for going in.