Syria's leaders to urge Powell to support U.N. call Mideast halt to weapons of mass destruction

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | May 2, 2003 | EDITH M. LEDERER

[FairOpinion]

Syria's leaders will urge Secretary of State Colin Powell to support a U.N. resolution calling for the Middle East to be free of weapons of mass destruction, Syria's U.N. envoy said Friday.

The Arab-backed resolution, introduced by Syria in the Security Council, is clearly aimed at Israel, which is widely believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel refuses to confirm or deny the claim and is not party to global treaties aimed at controlling the spread of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

[FairOpinion]

Powell is in Syria to have Assad lecture him?! The Arab countries would like nothing more than for Israel to get rid of their nuclear weapons, so they could push the Israelis into the sea, as they often admit.

And now they want to UN to help them do it. I think these countries still haven't learned that the US is a paper tiger no more.

[MHGinTN]

Syria is now a member of the WMD club, with chem and bio weapons. Disarming Israel is the implied goal, but getting to keep their WMD is Syria's real motivation; Syria keeps their WMD under the guise of 'deterrence' since they do not expect Israel will disarm and allow the Arab hordes to slaughter Israelis in the Arab bloodlust. Syria is a sponsor and protector of terrorists--the Baaka Valley id filled to overflowing with the terrorist camps, etc. They are maneuvering to try and have the excuse to keep their WMD with U.N. sanction, to try and defer American insistence that they get rid of their poisons and plagues.

[ImpotentRage]

I don't trust Powell. Not from a position of being untrue to his country - but from his weakness as an individual and Secretary of State.

[Publicus]

Don't you worry about Colin Powell. He's dialed in. The job requires him to be approachable and open to opportunities for dialogue. This makes him look "weak" only to those who do not understand the US model. Powell is a patriot and is playing this role perfectly, just like he perfectly carried out his duties during his military career and in Desert Shield and Storm. Powell is doing a terrific job IN THE ROLE CURRENTLY REQUIRED- as are Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, and the other sophisticated grown-ups of the current Administration.

[Mr. Mojo]

If Damascus thinks that they're going to avoid becoming a smoking crater, they're badly mistaken.

[xm177e2]

Even without WMD the Israelis could slaughter the Syrian army. The problem is the Egyptian Army, and the Syrian Army, and the Jordanian Army, and the Yemeni Army, and the Saudi Army, and the Libyan Army, and...