Lightwing Posted:
Syria Stops Cooperating With U.S. Forces and C.I.A.
By DOUGLAS JEHL and THOM SHANKER, The New York Times
WASHINGTON (May 23) - Syria has halted military and intelligence
cooperation with the United States, its ambassador to Washington said
in an interview, in a sign of growing strains between the two nations
over the insurgency in Iraq.
AP
"We thought, why should we continue to cooperate?" Syrian Ambassador to
United States Imad Moustapha said.
The ambassador, Imad Moustapha, said in the interview on Friday at the
Syrian Embassy here that his country had, in the last 10 days, "severed
all links" with the United States military and Central Intelligence
Agency because of what he called unjust American allegations. The Bush
administration has complained bitterly that Syria is not doing enough
to halt the flow of men and money to the insurgency in Iraq.
Mr. Moustapha said he believed that the Bush administration had decided
"to escalate the situation with Syria" despite steps the Syrians have
taken against the insurgents in Iraq, and despite the withdrawal in
recent weeks of Syrian troops from Lebanon, in response to
international demands.
He said American complaints had been renewed since February, when a
half-brother of Saddam Hussein, who was once the widely feared head of
Iraq's two most powerful security agencies, was handed over to the
Iraqi authorities after being captured in Syria along with several
lieutenants. The renewal of complaints caused Syria to abandon the idea
of providing further help, he said.
"We thought, why should we continue to cooperate?" he said.
Bush administration officials said Syria's stance has prompted intense
debate at high levels in the administration about new steps that might
be taken against the Syrian government. The officials said the options
included possible military, diplomatic or economic action. But senior
Pentagon and military officials cautioned Monday that if any military
action was eventually ordered, it was likely to be limited to insurgent
movements along the border.
"There's a lot of discussion about what to do about Syria and what a
problem it is," said the administration official, who works for a
government agency that has been involved in the debate.
Relations between Syria and the United States have been souring for
months, and some Bush administration officials said Syria's level of
cooperation had been dwindling even before the latest move.
Lawrence Di Rita, the Pentagon spokesman, said there have been
occasional low-level military-to-military communications along the
border. He said the Defense Department had received no official
notification of a change in that status, nor that the status of
American military attach=E9s in Damascus had been altered.
The American officials declined to provide an on-the-record response to
Mr. Moustapha's statements on halting intelligence cooperation, citing
the delicacy of the issue.
American intelligence officials have said Syria has provided important
assistance in the campaign against Al Qaeda since the Sept. 11 attacks.
In recent months, senior Pentagon officials and military officers say,
cooperation between the two nations has included low-level
communications across the border between captains and field-grade
officers of the American-led alliance and their Syrian counterparts.
One senior military officer said those communications had been helpful
in mitigating a number of "cross-border firings" of artillery that have
occurred between Syrian forces and the American-led military in Iraq.
Any further scaling back of cooperation there or between Syria and the
C=2EI.A. could have a tangible impact, officials said.
American military officers in Baghdad and intelligence analysts in
Washington say militant cells inside Iraq draw on "unlimited money"
from an underground financial network run by former Baath Party leaders
and relatives of Mr. Hussein, many of whom they say found safe haven to
live and operate in Syria.
Those officials say Damascus has done very little in its banking system
to stop the financing, nor has it seized former Iraqi Baathists
identified by the United States as organizing and financing the
insurgency.
In presenting Syria's case, Mr. Moustapha said his government had done
all it could to respond to American complaints, including taking steps
to build barriers and add to border patrols.
He declined to comment on any role Syria might have played in the
capture of Mr. Hussein's half-brother, Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan
al-Tikriti, No. 36 on the American list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis. But
the ambassador said Syria had jailed some 1,200 foreign fighters who
sought to enter Iraq from Syria, and had returned scores of others to
their home countries.
On the day of the interview with Mr. Moustapha, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said Syria was "allowing its territory to be used to
organize terrorist attacks against innocent Iraqis."
A senior American military officer acknowledged that "the Syrian
government has in some cases been helpful" in building border berms and
otherwise taking action against people involved in providing support to
the insurgency. But the officer added: "Our sense is that they protest
a bit too much and that they are capable of doing more. We expect them
to do more."
The United States ambassador to Damascus, Margaret Scobey, has been in
Washington for several months, having been recalled for consultations
after the assassination in Lebanon on Feb. 14 of Rafik Hariri, a former
prime minister.
.
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| User: "MillKa!!!" |
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| Title: Re: Syria Stops Cooperating With U.S. Forces and C.I.A. |
25 May 2005 01:49:47 AM |
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Although you may have been just Re-Blogging FACTS; You may not realize the Seriousness
of the Fact that you have "Re-Blogged" !!!
To all those that do not take this seriously, think again !!!
If America falls out of Grace with Syria, than the Third World War will begin. Syria,
Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia will Mass Troops against the United States 'Coalition' in
these Regions !!! (And India soon, will follow suit.) - And, Pakistan will comply
based on their Muslim supporters !!!
And "All 'HELL' Will Break Loose."
You've Been Warned.
:-(]
<lightwing07@aol.com> wrote in message
Lightwing Posted:
Syria Stops Cooperating With U.S. Forces and C.I.A.
By DOUGLAS JEHL and THOM SHANKER, The New York Times
WASHINGTON (May 23) - Syria has halted military and intelligence
cooperation with the United States, its ambassador to Washington said
in an interview, in a sign of growing strains between the two nations
over the insurgency in Iraq.
AP
"We thought, why should we continue to cooperate?" Syrian Ambassador to
United States Imad Moustapha said.
The ambassador, Imad Moustapha, said in the interview on Friday at the
Syrian Embassy here that his country had, in the last 10 days, "severed
all links" with the United States military and Central Intelligence
Agency because of what he called unjust American allegations. The Bush
administration has complained bitterly that Syria is not doing enough
to halt the flow of men and money to the insurgency in Iraq.
Mr. Moustapha said he believed that the Bush administration had decided
"to escalate the situation with Syria" despite steps the Syrians have
taken against the insurgents in Iraq, and despite the withdrawal in
recent weeks of Syrian troops from Lebanon, in response to
international demands.
He said American complaints had been renewed since February, when a
half-brother of Saddam Hussein, who was once the widely feared head of
Iraq's two most powerful security agencies, was handed over to the
Iraqi authorities after being captured in Syria along with several
lieutenants. The renewal of complaints caused Syria to abandon the idea
of providing further help, he said.
"We thought, why should we continue to cooperate?" he said.
Bush administration officials said Syria's stance has prompted intense
debate at high levels in the administration about new steps that might
be taken against the Syrian government. The officials said the options
included possible military, diplomatic or economic action. But senior
Pentagon and military officials cautioned Monday that if any military
action was eventually ordered, it was likely to be limited to insurgent
movements along the border.
"There's a lot of discussion about what to do about Syria and what a
problem it is," said the administration official, who works for a
government agency that has been involved in the debate.
Relations between Syria and the United States have been souring for
months, and some Bush administration officials said Syria's level of
cooperation had been dwindling even before the latest move.
Lawrence Di Rita, the Pentagon spokesman, said there have been
occasional low-level military-to-military communications along the
border. He said the Defense Department had received no official
notification of a change in that status, nor that the status of
American military attachés in Damascus had been altered.
The American officials declined to provide an on-the-record response to
Mr. Moustapha's statements on halting intelligence cooperation, citing
the delicacy of the issue.
American intelligence officials have said Syria has provided important
assistance in the campaign against Al Qaeda since the Sept. 11 attacks.
In recent months, senior Pentagon officials and military officers say,
cooperation between the two nations has included low-level
communications across the border between captains and field-grade
officers of the American-led alliance and their Syrian counterparts.
One senior military officer said those communications had been helpful
in mitigating a number of "cross-border firings" of artillery that have
occurred between Syrian forces and the American-led military in Iraq.
Any further scaling back of cooperation there or between Syria and the
C.I.A. could have a tangible impact, officials said.
American military officers in Baghdad and intelligence analysts in
Washington say militant cells inside Iraq draw on "unlimited money"
from an underground financial network run by former Baath Party leaders
and relatives of Mr. Hussein, many of whom they say found safe haven to
live and operate in Syria.
Those officials say Damascus has done very little in its banking system
to stop the financing, nor has it seized former Iraqi Baathists
identified by the United States as organizing and financing the
insurgency.
In presenting Syria's case, Mr. Moustapha said his government had done
all it could to respond to American complaints, including taking steps
to build barriers and add to border patrols.
He declined to comment on any role Syria might have played in the
capture of Mr. Hussein's half-brother, Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan
al-Tikriti, No. 36 on the American list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis. But
the ambassador said Syria had jailed some 1,200 foreign fighters who
sought to enter Iraq from Syria, and had returned scores of others to
their home countries.
On the day of the interview with Mr. Moustapha, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said Syria was "allowing its territory to be used to
organize terrorist attacks against innocent Iraqis."
A senior American military officer acknowledged that "the Syrian
government has in some cases been helpful" in building border berms and
otherwise taking action against people involved in providing support to
the insurgency. But the officer added: "Our sense is that they protest
a bit too much and that they are capable of doing more. We expect them
to do more."
The United States ambassador to Damascus, Margaret Scobey, has been in
Washington for several months, having been recalled for consultations
after the assassination in Lebanon on Feb. 14 of Rafik Hariri, a former
prime minister.
.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Syria Stops Cooperating With U.S. Forces and C.I.A. |
25 May 2005 08:44:02 AM |
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Lightwing Wrote:
MillKa;
If I did not realize the seriousness of this situation I would not have
posted it!
Sincerely,
Lightwing
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