:: Netmarcos' Notes ::

:: Thursday, April 17, 2003 ::

Syria Won't Allow Inspection, Wants WMD-Free Region

Asked by reporters in Cairo whether Syria would allow inspections, Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara said: "No...After this initiative, this Syrian proposal (at the United Nations)...Syria won't allow any inspection.

"It will only participate with its (Arab) brothers and all of the states of the world in turning the Middle East into an area free of weapons of mass destruction."

It was not clear if his remarks were a departure from Syria's previously stated position that it would only allow weapons inspections if they applied to all regional states, including Israel, which is widely believed to have nuclear arms.

More on this later...

After giving this some thought, it appears to be the same old line that many of the Arab states have held for years. The real issue is still Israel's continued existence. If Israel is to survive in the current environment, it must maintain the immpression that it would resort to the most drastic measures to protect itself. A sort of cold war strategy. You know, MAD and all that. The difference here is that the other side, unlike the USSR's opposition to the US, is not known to have the means to assure Israel's destruction, while Israel is assumed to have the capacity to inihilate its neighbors. The true nature of the problem lies beneath this reality: a nation's possesion of nuclear, or other non-conventional, weapons does not, in itself, constitute a danger to the world; it is that nation's willingness and ability to use those weapons that constitutes a threat. Therfore, to get to the heart of the matter, you need to ask just a couple of questions. First, if left to its own devices, free of any consequence, would Israel attack or invade any of the established Arab states? And second, under the same rules, would any of the Arab states take the opportunity to eliminate the state of Israel?

Syria's contention that Israel should be subject to weapons inspections as a condition for clearing the air about their own weapons programs is the equivalent of the assault suspect demanding that a search warrant be issued for the victim's property as well.

:: Mark 4:06 PM [+] ::
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