Posted on 01/09/2008 5:48:18 AM PST by SJackson
U.S. prevented Israel from destroying missiles on way to Syria in 1991
Israel planned 1991 strike on NKorea-Syria ship: report 9 January 2008
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hvf4BsFaJxsRc-0n0x45EiEBASLQ
TOKYO (AFP) - Israeli agents prepared to strike a ship suspected of smuggling missiles from North Korea to Syria in 1991 but cancelled it at the 11th hour under US pressure, a Japanese newspaper reported Wednesday.
Undercover agents of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency secretly attached a guidance system for an airstrike on a cargo vessel believed to be carrying 23 short-range Scud missiles to Syria, the Yomiuri Shimbun said.
The Yomiuri, reporting from Jerusalem, said it spoke to one of the agents involved in the operation, whose name was transliterated into Japanese as Michael Ross.
Ross said he and two colleagues disguised themselves as workers for shipping carriers and headed to Casablanca, Morocco.
In February 1991, they managed to get close to the ship, which was believed to be jointly owned by Syrian and Jordanian firms, and swam underneath it to set up equipment to guide an airstrike, the report said.
Israel had planned to destroy the vessel and missiles, which with a range of 500 kilometers (300 miles) would put the Jewish state at risk.
The incident came during the first Gulf War, during which the United States, managing a coalition with Arab states including Syria, pressured Israel not to respond to Scud missile attacks by Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
The Yomiuri said Israel's then prime minister Yitzhak Shamir called off the airstrike on the North Korean missiles at the last minute.
"Probably the prime minister gave up on the plan out of consideration to the United States," Ross was quoted as telling the Yomiuri.
"If we blew up the vessel, it would have been inevitable to have many Syrian casualties and it might have been taken as a declaration of war against Syria," he was quoted as saying.
Impoverished North Korea, one of the few non-Muslim states that has no relations with Israel, is believed to rely on weapons exports as one of its top money-makers.
In September Israel launched an air strike in Syria, which Western media reports said targeted a nuclear facility developed with North Korea.
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I’m sure James Baker had a hand in this.
ah....GHW Bush....the Globalist....
....like father like son.
Along with Bush’s advocacy of Turkey becoming an EU member and Rice’s huggy-kissy with Fatah, I do believe the US is completely inept and incompetent on the diplomatic side of the blotter.
The military rocks, but the State Department seems to be an enemy of the people.
This is totally off base and completely untrue. The vessel in question was known to the port authorites, the cargo checked completely and the ship went on it’s way. No Scuds were there, period
Now, this does ring true.
I was going to say that with all the political skirmishes with Israel going on during the Bush Sr.Administration, the acrimony against the Jewish State was rather palpable, but you beat me to it.
“Along with Bush’s advocacy of Turkey becoming an EU member and Rice’s huggy-kissy with Fatah, I do believe the US is completely inept and incompetent on the diplomatic side of the blotter.
“
Germany in 2002-2003 bought Turkey off. Schroeder counter offered EU membership for Turkey’s rejection of the US offer in aid and loans to allow us use of their land to launch into the North of Iraq in greater mass. The US position is more or less, “Eat the big stinking terd you made.” or, “You wanted it, you should get it, every last Turk!”
There are several things at play here- One Turkey is a NATO member and in the past has worked with us on many issues. Turkey sent troops to Afghanistan, was a player in the Cold War, and we monitored Russian ships in the black sea and everything that squeezed through the Bosporus (Even today). We based nukes there and even today operate Incirlik AFB and have other activities elsewhere from which we support the mission in Iraq etc). We also are backing the Kurds which is indirectly causing problems for the Turks, a nation with which we have major arms deals as well. Us backing Turkey’s entry into the EU is a great way to mend relations with this ally and is a form of pay-back for those who played games and made promises in 2002.
We saw what kind of ally Turkey was at the start of the Iraq war. Turkey is no friend of America or of the West. Opportunists perhaps - but neither friend nor trustworthy ally.
EU membership for a Muslim country in this age of jihad is foolishness.
It is what the Germans promised! Not us. They made the deal.
Turkey and the US share numerous mutual interests in security and intelligence. Furthermore, Turkey is strategically located.
The facts speak for themselves. There is a reason why Turkey fly’s F16, and will buy JSF. We do have troops there, we do support the mission in Iraq from there, they did give us not only over flight rights during the 2003 Iraq war, but also were on our side in 1991, they had/have troops in Afghanistan, they allow us use of the Bosporus to monitor Soviet naval activity, we had nukes stationed there............ No, you’re simply jumping to conclusions based on some assumption and stereotypes.
Turkey is the most Western Muslim nation there is. They are trying hard to conform to the requirements of the EU. From our perspective it makes complete sense to back Turkey in its endeavor for EU membership for two reasons:
• Mend relations strained by Iraq (We back the Kurds - and some of them are causing trouble for the Turks) etc. The Kurds are a double edged knife which while very useful in fighting Saddam, the most secure and stable region of Iraq, and causing trouble for Iran in their Northern areas, are ALSO causing problems for the Turks who are our allies as well.
• Our center of gravity today isn’t Europe but the Caucasus (Rep. Georgia), Middle East (Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran), and North Africa (Libya); and Turkey WILL be a key nation in this equation in the long run.
• Payback for some European nations which “offered” their support for EU membership if the Turks decline the US offer of aid and loan guarantees. Germany was the primary culprit. Schroeder flat out offered them support for EU membership and today even most Germans would rather know nothing of this, but they “should” eat their own $hit in this matter.
• Our interests coincide on most vital issues security and economic: i.e. Russia, Iran, Belarus, energy issues, arms trade, etc.
Yes, it makes complete sense that we back the Turks. In Turkey there are the exact same types as you; people running around screaming at the top of their lungs about the US this, the US that. In the meantime Turkey does like the oil flowing from Northern Iraq, they see Iran as a threat just as we do, and they see the reemergence of Russia and the developments in Belarus with a close eye as well. The layperson on the street goes and watches their cheap movie which will portray a Turkish SF unit caught by us (Held as guests at BIAP) and sent to assassinate the mayor of Mosul (A minor detail not in their movie) as hero’s and feel good about themselves; not much unlike a Michael Moore made his quick dollar of Fahrenheit 911 which also panders to a certain group in the US and abroad. Nonetheless, Turkey is important to us as we are to them, and we both know this, at least at the ministerial levels and our support of Turkish EU membership makes complete sense.
What you are suggesting would be a “missed opportunity” to mend relations at little to no cost for us and let those who did all they could to screw us in 2002/03 off the hook for free.
For various reasons, not two. Typo, sorry.
‘Most Western Muslim....’
That make them so much better suited to be a positive influence in the Islamic world than a negative one in the Western orbit. Yep, It’s about Islam and Islam’s fundamental incompatibility with Western values.
When Islam emerges from the dark ages, perhaps there will be more to discuss. Until then, It’s all taqiya to me from a country that cannot even come clean on it’s treatment of Armenians in 1915.
Now you’re going into relativistic mush to make no point other than to your self. Your argument is like that of Jesse Jackson when he tries shake down money from a business. Are you Armenian? Are you like all those Serbs creeping around in this forum?
The Turks ever since Ataturk have been more Western than Eastern. They were never Arabs, and as Ottomans might have been violent and expansionistic in the past, but so were others at the time, and BTW the Turks were allied in WWI with the? Germans.
Turkey today is a borderline industrial state and they understand “economics.” They are about Dollars and Euro’s and while some morons run around in Turkey screaming some BS, they understand that their best interests lie with the West, Europe, NATO and the US. That is how they act. In 2002/03 they had a conflict of interest that was split between us and Europe because part of Europe (Germany/Belgium/France) more or less worked against us. EU membership is worth far more than some billions given to them in foreign aid and loans, so the Turks rationally took the German (Schroeder) led offer.
Today Turkey has its sights set on EU membership and our support of this is simply to our advantage since it helps our relations with the Turks who are of value to us as we are to them. Likewise, just like we are paying the price for invading Iraq (We break it, we fix it), those in Europe making big promises years past to screw with us should today be called out and pay their dues as well. – That simple
Here’s a reality check-
Schroeder is gone. Merkel and the reigning CDU/CSU isn’t so optimistic as Schroeder was in every speech he gave about Turkey and their future. The French have gone through some substantial changes politically and while Chirac made some negative statements he didn’t hold his buddy Schroeder back when making the offer to the Turks in 2002/03. The political climate in Germany has changed. You have more conservative, more nationally thinking governments in Germany and France. The perception of the Islamic threat is real. Schroeder all but declared the GWOT as a figment of George Bush’s imagination, as false pretense to go on a global crusade. He all but echoed Al Jazzier in his speeches reference Iraq, Iran and the GWOT! Most Germans don’t want to do anything or as little as possible, may that be reference Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq, or Iran, but..... the perception of the threat is real, and the admittance of 80 million Muslims into the EU does not sit well with the people, despite their denial of any problems years past. France today will flat out block Turkey from joining. The likelihood of Turkey entering the EU is slim to none.
However, that does not change the fact that us supporting Turkey will help our relations with them and they are strategically significant as well as a major arms purchasing nation for us. Turkey of course screwed us too when they reneged on their deal. Realize they had already agreed when they changed their mind because of the better offer. 4ID was originally planned to land in Turkey and was already unloading ships when they had to load everything back up and squeeze through the Suez on their trip to Kuwait.
Think of it this way. Turkey “gambled” and the payoff would have been huge. But their boys in the EU are gone, and in the end they lost BILLIONS in guaranteed US Dollars as well as influence in Iraq for a pipedream EU membership. The Germans offered them something they really don’t want to dish out today, but they should squirm a bit and enjoy the backfire politically as well as culturally when they reject 80 million Turks essentially for no other reason than their religion, Islam. The echo of this rejection will reverb through the entire Muslim world. The hesitation and political game playing today is amusing, but eventually Turkey will hear a big “Nein danke,” and if you think head scarfs were a big deal, think again. And guess where we stand on the issue?
Payback is a bitch.
-IMHO-
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