March 1, 2005
CRANK...CRANK...CRANK...:
Syria steals Blair's thunder at summit (Richard Beeston, 3/02/05, Times of London)
Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, used her platform in London to give warning to Syria to pull its troops and security services out of Lebanon and to stop its support for Iraqi insurgents and militant Palestinian groups. She said that there was “firm evidence” of Syrian involvement in last week’s suicide bomb attack against a nightclub in Tel Aviv.Posted by Orrin Judd at March 1, 2005 11:01 PMDr Rice even hinted that Washington could increase existing sanctions against Syria, which she said was isolated and out of step with the democratic trend sweeping the Arab world.
Dr Rice added that there was “a long list of concerns about Syria that is standing in the way of Lebanese, Iraqis, Palestinians and others in their aspirations for a better world”.
Yesterday there was evidence that the pressure was beginning to have an effect in Damascus. President Assad of Syria said that he would withdraw Syrian troops from Lebanon this year.
“It (withdrawal) should be very soon and maybe in the next few months. Not after that. I can’t give you a technical answer. The point is the next few months,” he told Time magazine. [...]
[P]erhaps the most striking event of the day was the sight of Dr Rice and Michel Barnier, her French counterpart, announcing that America and France had forged a new alliance. They pledged to join forces to co-ordinate their policy against Syria’s continued presence in Lebanon.
One of the few areas where France retains any influence outside of culinary affairs is Lebanon. Their ties with the Maronites are centuries old. They correctly see the end of the Syrian occupation as inevitable and are worried that America will be able to freeze them out entirely without so much as a deep breath.
Watching the French turn on their old pals the Baathist Alawites of Syria is a truly beautiful moment. Levi Eshkol, Israel's PM at the time of the Six Day War when DeGaulle screwed them on arms shipments already paid for but not delivered, must be laughing his butt off in heaven.
Posted by: Bart at March 2, 2005 6:25 AMOne of the few areas where France retains any influence outside of culinary affairs is Lebanon. Their ties with the Maronites are centuries old. They correctly see the end of the Syrian occupation as inevitable and are worried that America will be able to freeze them out entirely without so much as a deep breath.
Watching the French turn on their old pals the Baathist Alawites of Syria is a truly beautiful moment. Levi Eshkol, Israel's PM at the time of the Six Day War when DeGaulle screwed them on arms shipments already paid for but not delivered, must be laughing his butt off in heaven.
Posted by: Bart at March 2, 2005 6:25 AM