Schallplatte Bush: Syrien hat WMPs, versteckt Irakis, könnte nächstes Ziel sein!

verfasst von RK, 16.09.2003, 20:07

-->http://www.etaiwannews.com/World/2003/04/15/1050371199.htm

Bush accuses Syria of harboring WMD's, Iraqi leaders
President Assad holds talks with British, Saudi envoys;Foreign Ministry denies administration's claims
2003-04-15 / Agencies /
President Bush Sunday accused Syria of having weapons of mass destruction and of harboring fleeing Iraqi leaders, raising questions about whether that country might be the next target for the U.S. military.

"We believe there are chemical weapons in Syria," Bush said."Each situation will require a different response and, of course... first things first. We're in Iraq now, and the second thing about Syria is that we expect cooperation."

He also said he expects Syria to stop harboring cronies of Saddam Hussein believed to have fled there as their government in Iraq collapsed.

"The Syrian government needs to cooperate with the United States and our coalition partners and not harbor any Baathists, any military officials, any people who need to be held to account for their tenure" in Iraq, Bush told reporters Sunday.

Bush, appearing in an expansive mood on the day that seven American prisoners of war were recovered in good health, sidestepped a question about whether the United States might threaten war against Syria if it did not cooperate with U.S. demands."They just need to cooperate," he said in response.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld also brushed aside questions about war against Syria.

"That's above my pay grade," he said on NBC's"Meet the Press" program."Those are the kinds of things that countries and presidents decide. That's broad national policy. I am a participant, but I am certainly not a decider."

Rumsfeld said senior Iraqi leaders have fled to Syria, and some have continued on to other unnamed countries. He did not identify any, but The Washington Times quoted anonymous U.S. government officials as saying that two Iraqi biological weapons scientists were among those making it to Damascus, Syria. They were identified as Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash, described by U.S. officials as"Mrs. Anthrax," and Rihab Taha, known as"Dr. Germ."

Syrian officials denied that Iraqi officials had escaped to their country.

Syria's president held talks yesterday with British and Saudi envoys while the Foreign Ministry flatly denied the American charges.

``Of course Syria has no chemical weapons. They (Americans) have been talking for years about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. But so far, the presence of these weapons has not been confirmed,'' said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Bouthayna Shaaban.

``I would like to say that there are biological, chemical and nuclear weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East region. They are in Israel, not in Syria,'' she said in a telephone interview with Lebanon's Al-Hayat-LBC satellite channel late Sunday.

Syrian President Bashar Assad met yesterday with British Junior Foreign Minister Mike O'Brien, who arrived in Damascus as part of a tour that would also take him to Iraq.

O'Brien said he briefed Assad on ``coalition proposals now that Saddam Hussein's regime has gone.'' A British Embassy statement quoted O'Brien as saying, ``Saddam Hussein is finished. The coalition will go home as soon as the Iraqi people have an elected government.''

A British Embassy official said O'Brien's visit was ``part of ongoing dialogue between Syria and Britain,'' adding that the United Kingdom was interested in conducting consulations on post-Saddam Iraq with all the countries neighboring Iraq.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, speaking to reporters in Bahrain yesterday, said Syria was not the next coalition target after the war on Iraq but added that it needed to answer questions.

In an interview with British Broadcasting Corp. radio yesterday, Straw said the United States and Britain would be looking for Syrian cooperation regarding ``some fugitives from Iraq (who) may well have fled to Syria, and other matters, including whether they have in fact been developing any kind of illegal or illegitimate chemical or biological programs.''

Asked whether he believed the Syrians had weapons of mass destruction, Straw replied:"I'm not sure, and that's why we need to talk to them about it."

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gesamter Thread:

• Schallplatte Bush: Syrien hat WMPs, versteckt Irakis, könnte nächstes Ziel sein! - RK, 16.09.2003, 20:07
  • Sogar CIA hat Schnauze voll: WMP-Schätzung bzgl. Syrien sei völlig übertrieben! - RK, 16.09.2003, 20:13
    • Ist ja nicht das erste Mal, dass Bush was anderes sagt als der CIA (owT) - Gewinnmitnehmer, 16.09.2003, 20:23
      • Stimmt. Hier lesenswertes Näheres zur aktuellen Lage in Nah- und Mittelost!!! - RK, 16.09.2003, 20:47