AP: Iraqi Minister Criticizes Syria ~ He said that insurgent leaders were in Syria.....
Las Vegas Sun ^ | July 18, 2005 at 5:52:28 PDT | LOUIS MEIXLER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted on 07/18/2005 12:02:05 PM EDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1445330/posts
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) - Iraq's interior minister said Monday that Syria was not taking serious steps to stop insurgents from crossing its border into Iraq, adding that he had pictures and addresses of insurgent leaders in Syria.
Bayan Jabr, in an interview with The Associated Press, also indicated that he was not optimistic that Damascus would take measures to crack down on supporters of the insurgency on its territory.
"They say, 'We are ready to cooperate,' and I hope they cooperate, but only talking is not sufficient," Jabr said a day before the interior ministers of Iraq's neighbors were scheduled to meet in Istanbul. He said that insurgent leaders were in Syria "and I have addressees and pictures with me of these terrorists." But when asked whether he expected Syria to cooperate, Jabr shook his head.
"We have to protect our borders," he added.
Jabr also said that while Jordan was committed to stopping the flow of money from its territory to insurgents, many Jordanians and Iraqi expatriates in Jordan were supporting the militants. He pointed to Saddam Hussein's wife, Sajida, and his daughter, Raghad, who he said live in Jordan and sent $100 million to support the militants.
"Jordan doesn't support the insurgency, but the people in Jordan do," Jabr said, adding that "there are many Iraqis who support the insurgency who are living in Amman." Jabr also said that a trial for Saddam Hussein was important to send a message to insurgents that the Iraqi dictator will never return to power. He said that some former members of the regime "support the insurgency because they believe he will return." After a trial for the former Iraqi leader, "they will know he will never return back."
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Syria, Iraq Link May Have Fueled Insurgency (Syria partners with Saddam's regime, Oil for Food) Fox News ^ | 7-27-05 Posted on 07/27/2005 8:47:06 PM EDT by Indy Pendance
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1451972/posts
WASHINGTON Congressional lawmakers on Wednesday laid out a detailed and disturbing picture of alleged Syrian complicity with Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
And because of that complicity, money funneled into Iraq may have gone to help fuel the insurgency currently targeting U.S. and coalition troops, as well as Iraqi civilians, said members of the House International Relations Joint Oversight Subcommittee.
Syria had a more than $3 billion role in funneling money and weapons to Saddam Hussein during the period of the scandal-plagued U.N. Oil-for-Food (search) program, according to documents obtained by the congressional panel.
The Syrian government, led by President Bashir Assad, isn't saying what it has done with that cash. But Congress fears it may now be in the hands of terrorists not just in Iraq but around the world.
"We see the bloody consquences of the arming of Iraq even going on today," Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., said Wednesday during a subcommittee hearing. "I wouldn't think that it would be irrational for us to conclude, madame chairman, that those funds are being filtered to those people who are financing this bloody insurgency that is going on in Iraq today."
Victor Comras, former member of the U.N. Al Qaeda monitoring group, responded by saying: "That's a fair assumption that at least part of these funds are being made available to support this insurgency and perhaps other terrorist activities."
But those accusations haven't gone over well with Syrian officials.
"They need a scapegoat and they like to blame Syria for their own failed policies in Iraq," Syrian Ambassador Imad Moustapha told reporters after the hearing.
The documents in question, prepared by IRS special agents, have emerged as a new avenue in Congress' investigation into Oil-for-Food.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Give the Iraqi's a year...and when they are on their feet fully....Syria is in for a world of hurt.
Syria really does seem to have a lot of problems. A number of times from back when Powell was still SoS unward, we have meet with Bashir, and some of his ministers, and at least one key Syrian General that had worked with us during Operation Desert Storm. Again and again, at least that is what we have gotten from public disclosures, they agreed to round up all the Saddamist and return them to Iraq. What the Iraqi Interior Minister is nothing new. Same thing was said six months back and earlier. We had/have the names/cell phone numbers, and addresses of those operatives residing in Syria. Somehow the Syrians never deliver. Clearly a lot of key people in Bashir's government and elsewhere must support the Iraqi insurgency or else they would have taken the appropriate actions. No other way of looking at this point.
Their secret service is not inept is it?