Spotlight on Syria

With the release of the UN International Independent Investigation Commission interim report on 20 October into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri increasing international pressure on Syria, a diplomatic source has said that Damascus is nevertheless pursuing what they describe as “an innovative chemical warfare (CW) program in co-operation with Iran”, Jane’s Defence Weekly newspaper reported Monday.

The essence of this co-operation, the source told the newspaper, “is Tehran’s contractual commitment, made to Syria a few months ago, to provide Iranian CW technical assistance to facilitate Syria’s CW program”.

Utilizing this assistance, they said, Syria hopes to reach an independent production capability of precursors for producing CW agents, which it has so far been unable to achieve.

According to the source, Iran will assist Syria in the planning, establishment and pilot operation of about four or five facilities throughout Syria for the production of precursors for VX and Sarin nerve agents and mustard blister agent.

Just few days ago we saw the Iraqi people waiting to know the fate of their former leader Saddam Hussein, the first Arab leader in history to stand trial. But there’s another Arab leader’s fate that’s being threatened, it’s the Syrian President Bashar Al Assad- It seems that history repeats itself.

While Saddam Hussein was standing trial before the U.S.-controlled Iraqi Special Tribune; Washington was busy preparing to put another Arab President, a leader of another Baathist government, in the corner.

It’s all about lies.

Today, more than two years after the war on Iraq began; every single piece of evidence confirms that President Bush, who was obsessed with ousting the Iraqi leader even before 9/11, fixed the intelligence to justify his unwise decision to invade a sovereign nation, and up till now he can’t face the realty or admit his mistakes, instead he keeps repeating his old lies, the lies he fooled his nation with regarding the reasons for the war.

The same order of events in the lead up to Iraq war is now being repeated with Syria: claims, forcing UN to impose sanctions, and then military action.

But it seems that the Americans are trying this time to not repeat old mistakes. In Syria’s case, Bush’s admin seems determined not to engage in any conflict without international support.

Unlike what happened with Iraq, an international system has been arranged, without conflict and within the framework of the United Nations, to pile up the pressure on Syria, according to Le Figaro, a French paper.

Shortly after Detlev Mehlis, a UN investigator, leading the probe into February assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al Hariri, released his report which accused Syrian officials of involvement in the murder, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Michael Bolton was getting ready to gather international support for taking tough action against Syria.

Washington is also trying to fuel the Syrian opposition against President Bashar so that he gives in and ask for support from Bush’s administration, in return stop backing the Lebanese government, viewed by the U.S. and Israel as political interferences, as well as stopping the infiltration of fighters into Iraq to boost the strength of the anti-occupation resistance.

Only time will tell if the Syrian President will remain bold against Washington’s pressure, or if he will give in to save his nation from facing a terrible fate similar to that of the Iraqis, both under the UN sanctions and the occupation.