They're freaking in Lebanon

The US has just recalled its Syria envoy

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B7391ECD-55FF-41FE-AE6C-61E9B9766F26.htm

Tuesday 15 February 2005, 21:45 Makka Time, 18:45 GMT


"Rice ordered Scobey (R) to leave the Syrian capital

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has ordered US Ambassador Margaret Scobey home from Syria amid rising tensions over the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri in Beirut, a US official said. "


This makes Lebanon's dark cloud even darker. Are we off to Syria now. I thought it was to be Iran. Too many wars!
********************************************************

From the Daily Star, Lebanon:

A cloud descends over Lebanon's political future

By Hanna Anbar and Michael Glackin
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, February 15, 2005


The bomb blast that murdered former premier Rafik Hariri along with eight others and ripped though downtown Beirut has cast a giant cloud over Lebanon's immediate political future. Lebanon has been under the international microscope for most of the last six months. In addition to UN Resolution 1559 calling for Syria to withdraw the 15,000 troops it still has stationed in Lebanon, the country is also facing the prospect of being caught up in U.S. sanctions against Damascus.

Against this backdrop of international disquiet there has also been a fierce internal debate in the run up to parliamentary elections scheduled for this May. The Lebanese opposition, which has called for an end to Syrian involvement in Lebanon's affairs, was a few days ago fretting the election would be "rigged" to ensure a victory for pro-Syrian factions. Against this background the opposition has been quick to point the finger at Damascus, insisting it, along with the Lebanese government, is responsible for Hariri's murder.

Syria was openly warned in recent weeks by both the U.S. and France not to interfere in Lebanon's elections or harm its politicians. However, some suggest Damascus will use Hariri's death to argue its presence in Lebanon is needed more than ever now to ensure peace is maintained. But for now it is unclear what caused the massive explosion. A little-known group calling itself Victory and Jihad in Greater Syria has issued a statement claiming the killing, saying it was a suicide bomb. But most observers are dismissive of the claim.

It is now unclear if May's elections will take place. If the political temperature was at fever pitch last week, it is now white hot. In recent weeks the government has hinted elections could be cancelled if extraordinary security risks developed. Monday's blast could just about provide enough of an excuse to cancel what were becoming increasingly worrying elections.

<more>

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=12697

"You contradicted the President, and you contradicted yourself." -Sen. Boxer

against Syria. It doesn't look like Israel will be able to get us to attack Iran, so Syria is the next best option.

again, from Lebanon's Daily Star

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=12696

Cabinet holds extraordinary session, officials warn of threat to national unity

By Hadi Khatib
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, February 15, 2005

BEIRUT: Cabinet held an extraordinary session on Monday to deal with the repercussions of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Following the meeting, officials warned that the act was aimed at undermining national unity and destabilizing the country, with some believing that foreign hands were involved.



<snip>

Hariri's parliamentary Dignity Bloc held an emergency meeting on Monday and issued a statement eulogizing "the great Lebanese, Arab and world leader." The bloc pledged it would continue on the path of their late leader, "who brought confidence back to Beirut and its capital." The bloc further said that Hariri "fell with his comrades under the protection of the authorities and their security apparatus, and those who killed him know who they are, for they have been boasting about shouldering the burden of keeping the peace in Lebanon."

Leading Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah said that the targeting of Hariri points to the severity of the political situation in Lebanon, and how interrelated it is to the region. "Plans are set in motion internationally and regionally in order to sink Lebanon in a game, which affords Israel further security at the expense of explosive Arab and Islamic nations," Fadlallah said in a statement.

Exiled former General Michel Aoun blamed Hariri's assassination on Syria and what he called "the feeble regime imposed by Syria." "They are responsible. It's they who control the security and intelligence services," he told AFP in Paris, adding "We've gotten used to over nearly 30 years ... to a series of crimes which have never been solved."

Hizbullah also issued a statement saying that the assassination was a suspicious and heinous crime aimed at destabilizing Lebanon and planting discord among its people. The Amal Movement held an emergency meeting Monday where it denounced the attack and suggested "Zionists are behind the crime, aiming at creating turmoil."

<snip>

Not saying that Israel isn't behind it.

But Israel's the first recourse of many who decide that a fellow Muslim or Arab cannot possibly be behind some horrible act. Even saw a claim in some editorial that Israel was behind most of the bombings in Israel--it gave the Jews the justification to go into the West Bank to rape, kill, and generally oppress Muslims.

So often a claim says less about reality and more about people's attitudes.

I hate how the U.S. is always in favor of Israel even when they do wrong like that! :grr: And all because they're the "holy land." They certainly aren't holy are they? And I wouldn't be surprised if they had WMD's, but we'd never hear about it. It's all about Israel and controlling the oil. :eyes: :grr:

Good. Because it is pretty much an open secret that Israel has nuclear weapons. Last time I checked, those were considered WMDs.

Because otherwise all you have is suspicion, and that's not usually considered proof. And if for twenty incidents I always have the same suspicion ... nah, I won't make the same sort of claim you're quick to make.

You did actually read the post you replied to? Where I said that I *wasn't* saying Israel wasn't behind the attack?

Did anyone catch that PC where they called on Syria not to interfere with another country and to get out of Lebanon and the only reason to be there was for safety was shown not to be true due to the bomb blast yesterday, how can they say that with a straight face when we went halfway cross the world to interfere with Iraq.

Maybe Bush will get his "rapture" after all?

Why would Syria blow up the guy they were negotiating with in advent of his return to power in Lebanon?

Again we ask, cui bono?

who gave Saddam the go ahead to invade Kuwait in 91? Her name seems familiar.

But here's mention of Ms. Scobey in a hawkish speech delivered last year by the Middle East Forum.

http://www.meib.org/articles/0404_iraq2.htm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can the Coalition Block Terrorist Infiltration from Syria?
by Gary C. Gambill

<snip>

Publicly, American officials continue to stop just short of charging Syria with intentionally facilitating terrorist infiltration (which, according to the Bush doctrine, would be an act of war against the United States), but their warnings have become more frequent. The head of US Central Command, Gen. John Abizaid, complained on April 12 of "unhelpful actions coming from Syria."<6> When the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard Myers, announced at an April 15 press conference that "significant security challenges" would require an increase in American troop strength in Iraq, he specifically cited the infiltration of foreign fighters from Syria. "We know for a fact that a lot of them for sure are coming through Syria . . . That is just not acceptable."<7>

Even the State Department, which has tended to downplay Syria's role in the insurgency, acknowledged during a March 26 briefing that Syria is the preferred country of transit for terrorist infiltrators.<8> In mid-April, the American ambassador in Damascus, Margaret Scobey, delivered a message from Secretary of State Colin Powell to Assad, urging him to prevent insurgents from entering Iraq through Syrian territory. As usual, the Assad regime categorically denied that militants are crossing the border into Iraq even as it dropped not so subtle hints that Washington had not offered the right incentive. One Syrian official had the audacity to boast that Powell's letter "shows the extent of the trap in which the U.S. has found itself and underscores American need for a Syrian role in Iraq."<9>

Even if a military or political solution were found that would stop the cross-border infiltration, the foreign terrorist presence in Iraq, estimated by American military officials to range from 1,000 to 3,000 hard-core militants,<10> will continue to have a decisive impact on the Sunni insurgency, for they are passing on their knowledge to a new generation of Iraqi terrorists and have increasingly assumed leadership of local insurgents. US military officials estimate that there are at least 200 foreign fighters holed up in Falluja, comprising about 10%-20% of insurgent forces in the city, and that their presence has played a major role in stiffening resistance by locals.<11> Fortunately for the coalition, the foreigners are not well liked by the city's residents. One reason why the campaign to re-take Falluja has been delayed is that many residents have started to come forward with information about the whereabouts of al-Qaeda operatives and the coalition is now considering a series of rapid strike surgical incursions to eliminate them, rather than a full-fledged invasion. "We'd rather take on a small number of foreign fighters than the entirety of the city, including several thousand young Iraqi men" explained James Conway, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. "We will take this city. But we don't have to do it that way."<12>

Wasn't that her name/

and that is what really started the entire mess.

Why I remember that, I have no idea...

Prolly why you remember.

Remember during the debates in 1992 with Clinton and Bush? Perot was really hammering Bush on that episode to the point that Bush rebutted out of turn.

I still don't understand why she sent such a confused signal. Has anyone admitted we wanted war.

games in my country and started to kill/murder our "populist & democratic heroes". Man - my blood would boil. Especially if my country had been scraping for 30 years to find freedom & peace from all the mid east bullshit.

Lebanon is a resource rich country with fields of olives, ski hills, beaches. It is a gorgeous piece of land. And as we all know the people work their asses off (they would be some of Bush's chosen people along with William Wallace and the Chinese if you are into Eugenics).

I know some people there. Man I would be mad. I’d be looking into all parties who had destabilized my country to the place where a political assassination would be profitable. I would hold all the outside players responsible.

the assessment that Syria was NOT involved, that it wouldn't work in their favor at all to have been involved.

Maybe we had an operative in there to fan the flames?? Wouldn't doubt it...

Also, I saw Solanos interviewed, Europe is refusing to back the US.

C.I.A. Action pure and simple.

Wanna try and prevent intervention from opposition groups who have opposed Israel from the bakka valley? And provoke a region of possible opposition to the Bush schemes in the middle east, to build justification for military action against them?

Then all you have to do is go back to the historically tried and true method of "Problem - Reaction - Solution"

Their chief suspects-- the US and Israel

SyriaTimes

Who Stands to Gain?
opinion

15-2-2005

summary: Vicious attempts to destabilize the region and torpedo the peace process have persisted over recent decades with the aim of keeping the no-peace no-war status quo from which nobody benefits except the forces of occupation and evil.

The continuous explosive situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and in Iraq is an integral part of the US-Israeli strategy of hegemony and expansion which runs counter to international law and conventions. This strategy is based on the escalation of the already complicated events in the region. It is also related to the current volatile developments that are being heightened by the two allies who have so far rejected to abide by the UN resolutions concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict.

<snip>

The Beirut blast which caused the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister and other Lebanese citizens is part of the overall hostile criminal plot to destabilize the region and push it into the verge of collapse. þ The tragedy came as big shock to Syria, which has been twinned country to Lebanon since the very dawn of history. The two countries share the same history and the same destiny. Hence, hostile forces have been concocting plots to sever the deeply-rooted ties between Syria and Lebanon.

The assassination of Rafik Hariri is a national catastrophe meant to push Lebanon and the region into a conflagration the consequences of which cannot be predicted. It is an attempt to assassinate Lebanon as symbol of stability, peace and co-existence , not only in the region but also in the world.

The assassination of Hariri is an immense loss to both Lebanon and Syria. It was condemned by President Bashar al Assad as a criminal and terrible act. Syria supports Lebanon at this very critical moment and urges the Lebanese people to unite and confront all elements seeking to sow the seeds of dissension and civil strife. The Labeanese must unite and speak with one voice against the hostile forces that committed this heinous act. However, first and foremost we must also ask the question: Who stands to gain from this criminal act.

M. Agha

http://www.teshreen.com/syriatimes/_opinion.asp?FileName=20050215070714

n/t Just IMHO.

bush was practicing for his next press conference when the following scene occurred:

mr. bush: and that's why i have decided to invade Al-anon ...
press secretary: uh, mr. president, that's Lebanon ... L-e-b-a-n-o-n ... not Al-anon ... as you know, Al-anon is an organization for alcoholics ...
mr. bush: oh, i know ... i'll get it right at the real press conference ...