When Bush was asked what the United States would do if Syria did not change its policies, he said: "We're going to use our military."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/102605K.shtml

The PM warned Iran that life could become "a lot more difficult" if it carries on defying the international community.

http://tinyurl.com/8ar5f



Security Council Split Over Resolution on Syria:

Western nations working on a resolution to pressure Syria to cooperate with a U.N. investigation into the slaying of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri are encountering resistance from other Security Council members -- principally Algeria, China and Russia -- U.S., European and U.N officials said Monday.

http://www.champress.net/english/index.php?page=show_det&id=783



Syria is being Set Up to Fail: A Leaked Letter from Washington:

It explains how Syria is being set up to fail so that the US can isolate it and carry out a process of regime-change at the expense of Iraqi stability and the lives of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians. It explains how the US administration's policy of forcing regime change in Syria is trumping the need to save lives in Iraq.

http://tinyurl.com/aftpz



NSC Chief Hadley asked Italy for a Bashar Replacement:

Steven Hadley, the director of the US National Security Council, called the President of the Italian senate to asked if he had a candidate to replace Bashar al-Asad as President of Syria. The Italians were horrified. Italy is one of Syria’s biggest trading partners so it seemed a reasonable place to ask! This is what Washington has been up to.

http://tinyurl.com/9jpa2


From Information Clearing House

Could Somebody Recommend a President?

By Paul Craig Roberts

On the basis of the word of a convicted felon and swindler, Condi Rice wants a high level UN Security Council meeting to condemn Syria so the Bush administration can bring about "regime change" in Syria.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10761.htm

Toledo Blade Op-Ed column
Dan Simpson, retired diplomat
member of editorial board
October 19, 2005

AS I suspected six months ago, and U.S. military and Bush Administration civilian officials confirmed, U.S. forces have invaded Syria and engaged in combat with Syrian forces.

An unknown number of Syrians are acknowledged to have been killed; the number of Americans - if any - who have died so far has not yet been revealed by the U.S. sources, who, by the way, insist on remaining faceless and nameless.

The parallel with the Vietnam War, where a Nixon administration deeply involved in a losing war expanded the conflict - fruitlessly - to neighboring Cambodia, is obvious. The result was not changed in Vietnam; Cambodia itself was plunged into dangerous chaos which climaxed in the killing fields, where an estimated 1 million Cambodians died as a result of internal conflict. [...] Read about it at http://tinyurl.com/cfj7c


© Virginia Metze

A Syrian official, deputy Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, said the pressure on Syria was because of America's aim of dominating the region.

http://tinyurl.com/8d6oe


From Information Clearing House

by Robert Dreyfuss, TomPaine.com

If you thought failure in Iraq and multiple investigations at home would moderate the neoconservatives, think again.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051024/syria_the_next_iraq.php

The alleged intelligence agent al-Sadik, 42, on whose testimony a considerable portion of the investigation is based, has been convicted of, embezzlement and fraud, among other crimes. Even within the UN Commission investigating the murder of Lebanon’s former Prime Minster Rafik al-Hariri, which presented its report on Thursday, there is doubt of the credibility of the Syrian witness.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10726.htm



Syria hits out against Hariri murder claims:

In the first official reaction to emerge from Damascus, Syrian foreign ministry adviser Riad Daudi told a press conference his government rejected the report, which was biased and aimed at hurting Syria. He said the conclusions were 'without any foundation'.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1598900,00.html


From Information Clearing House

http://www.hh-online.com?lid=22934
http://links.net-hh.de?lid=22934

(SPON) Die durch die Mainstreammedien verbreitete Anklage gegen Syrien wegen des Attentats auf den Ex-Premier des Libanon Hariri stützt sich in erster Linie auf die Aussage eines mehrfach verurteilten Betrügers und weckt Erinnerungen an die kriegstreiberischen Lügen des Irakers Achmed Chalabi. Die Anklage des Berliner Sonderermittlers Mehlis im Auftrag der UNO erscheint wie ein Dejavu auf die erfundenen Berichte und Informationen über angebliche irakische Massenvernichtungswaffen. Wie Achmed Chalabi, der verurteilt worden war wegen Bankbetrugs über mehrstellige Millionenbeträge ist auch der angebliche Geheimdienstler Al Sadik vorbestraft wegen Veruntreuung von Geldern und wegen Betrug. Aus UNO-Kreisen wird berichtet, dass Al Sadik nachweislich gelogen habe.

Aller Wahrscheinlichkeit nach hat Al Sadik für seine Aussage zum Mord an Hariri Geld erhalten. Seinem Bruder gegenüber teilte er im Spätsommer mit, dass er nun Millionär sei. Anschließend erklärte er die Verwicklungen der syrischen Seite in das Attentat.

Im Übrigen stellt sich die Untersuchung des Ermittlers Mehlis vergleichsweise unkonkret dar und stützt sich auf Vermutungen: "Angesichts der Durchdringung der libanesischen Institutionen durch die Geheimdienste Syriens und Libanons wäre schwerlich ein Szenario vorstellbar, im dem ein Komplott zu so einer komplizierten Mordtat ohne ihr Wissen hätte ausgeführt werden können." Dieselbe Schlussfolgerung ist geeignet, den amerikanischen Geheimdiensten die Verantwortung für die Attentate des 11.9. anzulasten.

Die Absicht hinter der Anklage erscheint denn auch recht durchsichtig: US-Präsident Bush erklärte in Anbetracht der Anklage einen amerikanischen Militärschlag gegen Syrien für möglich. Die Wiederaneignung Syriens durch den Westen und seine wirtschaftlichen Interessen steht damit möglicherweise auf der Agenda.

Originalartikel bzw. ergänzende Info hier:
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,381056,00.html

A series of clashes in the last year between American and Syrian troops, including a prolonged firefight this summer that killed several Syrians, has raised the prospect that cross-border military operations may become a dangerous new front in the Iraq war, according to current and former military and government officials.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/101505Z.shtml