<http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/editorial/43945.htm>
The New York Post DAMASCUS DEVILRY April 6, 2005 -- Syria now says it will withdraw all of its military and intelligence personnel "fully and completely" from Lebanon by the end of this month - fulfilling President Bush's demand and allowing the Lebanese people to conduct a full and free election. The announcement was made in Damascus by U.N. Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara, who insisted the withdrawal would satisfy all the requirements of a Security Council resolution enacted last year. Not so fast. For one thing, that resolution also requires the dismantling of independent militias operating inside Lebanon. And as the Israeli foreign ministry notes, "The only militia of any significance in Lebanon today is Hezbollah" - the terrorist organization responsible for scores of anti-Israeli attacks. And Hezbollah has made it clear - as recently as last week - that it will only disarm when it chooses to disarm, which won't be any time soon. Moreover, there may be some serious Syrian subterfuge at work. The Daily Star, a Beirut newspaper, reports: "Syria is setting up a secret intelligence operation outside Beirut and is working through its allies in Lebanon" - i.e., Hezbollah - "to maintain its influence over the country even after it withdraws troops." The paper finds that "Damascus is bringing in officials who will not be recognized in order to staff its hidden presence in Beirut's suburbs." Israeli intelligence officials reportedly have confirmed that Syria has expanded its civilian intelligence forces. None of this is surprising. Even with the dramatic spread of the pro-democracy movement in the Middle East (personified by the 500,000-strong Beirut protestors demanding Damascus' withdrawal), the speed with which Syrian President Bashar Assad agreed seemed a tad suspicious. But if it's true that the withdrawal announced so dramatically over the weekend constitutes a sham, that will constitute a new and more immediate challenge, to both Washington and the United Nations. President Bush, of course, threw down the gauntlet, telling The Post in an exclusive Oval Office interview last month that he would accept only "complete withdrawal, no half-hearted measures." Indeed, he added, "When the United States says something, it must mean it." Will the United Nations, as it seems to be doing, accept the Syrian pledge at face value, or will it try to verify these disturbing reports of Syrian chicanery? The answer to that question will have a lot to say about the world body's credibility. -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. Bring education to life by funding a specific classroom project. http://us.click.yahoo.com/FHLuJD/_WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
