Posted on 12/16/2002 8:29:48 PM PST by yonif
LONDON British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Syrian President Bashar Assad stepped delicately around their differences over terrorism and Iraq following a two-hour lunch meeting at Blair's official residence at 10 Downing Street on Monday.
Speaking to journalists, Assad brushed aside suggestions that Damascus is hosting organizations that support suicide bombers, insisting that they are not terrorist centers but "press offices." The confusion, he said, was the result of misunderstandings in "terminology and idiom."
"In our region they are called press offices. They are not called terrorist organizations," he said. "These press offices represent Palestinians who live in Syria and Palestinians who live in Palestine. Palestinians have a right to have someone to express their opinion."
Blair responded with an unequivocal denunciation of terrorism: "We condemn totally anyone who is engaged in terrorist activity of any sort at all, wherever in the world."
However, he added, "it is important to engage with Syria because Syria is going to be an important part of building a peaceful and stable future in the Middle East. No matter what the level of our disagreement, it is still important that we continue that dialogue."
Blair said he and Assad had "interesting discussions," but he conceded there had been "differences in view and emphasis." The differences were "obvious and clear," he said, although he refused to elaborate and said only that "a process of engagement with Syria is the right way forward."
Assad, who spoke of his "warm personal relations" with Blair, said they had held "realistic and constructive talks" on Iraq, the peace process, and terrorism. It was natural, he said, that countries should have differences "according to their positions, their interests, and their culture The basic point we stressed was the implementation of United Nations resolutions regarding all issues."
Assad said that Syria is "known for its fight against terrorism for decades, not just the last few years. As a country that has experience and rejects terrorism, we put our experience at the disposal of any country that seriously wants to fight terrorism."
In other developments, the Israeli Embassy here announced that Foreign Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will visit London on Friday for talks on bilateral issues and terrorism with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. The visit will follow stops in Rome and Paris, and Netanyahu will then travel on to Moscow on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Blair announced that he is planning to invite Palestinian leaders to London in January in an effort to support Palestinian reforms and revive the peace process. He told parliament that the Palestinian leaders, whom he did not name, would meet representatives of the Quartet the US, the EU, UN, and Russia as well as "other countries from the region closely involved in supporting the reform efforts." He said the talks will "discuss progress on reform and look at how the international community can help."
Blair added that "in the short term, progress on the Israeli side will be limited by the general election campaign."
The irony of Blair's meeting with the head of a terrorist-supporting state was emphasized by the chants of several hundred competing pro-Israeli and pro-Syrian demonstrators outside Downing Street. They were kept apart and in check by a heavy police presence at the entrance to Downing Street, about 100 meters from where Blair and Assad were talking to reporters.
Kurds demanding a homeland and Venezuelans pleading for help with their economic crisis took advantage of the media interest to press their causes as well.
Some of the Kurds adopted anti-Assad posters from pro-Israeli demonstrators. And to complicate the issue further, a clutch of haredim, carrying Syrian and Palestinian flags, arrived to join the pro-Syrian contingent.
It was difficult to judge which side made the louder noise, but there was no contest when it came to slogans on the posters and banners displayed by the two major groups.
"A-ssad day for Britain," read one pro-Israeli banner in a play on the Syrian leader's name.
"Assad equals Terrorism," was a common theme on others.
But the prize went to a pro-Syrian poster, which bore the slogan: "Under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad, Syria is heading confidently in the process of reform and modernization in the 21st century."
Ori Tannenbaum, son of Israeli businessman and reserve colonel Elhanan Tannenbaum, who was kidnapped by Hizbullah while on a trip to Switzerland in October 2000, participated in the demonstration.
"My father was kidnapped by the Hizbullah terrorist organization," Tannenbaum told The Jerusalem Post. "We all know who is the patron of this organization, who provides it with substantial amounts of political and military aid.
"We all know who could facilitate the release of my father and who could arrange medical attention for him. The name of this person is Bashar Assad...
"I understand that Bashar Assad has updated information about the health of my father but is withholding this from us. This in itself is an act of inhumanity."
David Rudge contributed to this report.
TELEGRAPH.co.uk: "SYRIANS 'SMUGGLING ARMS TO BAGHDAD'" by Con Coughlin (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Western intelligence officials have discovered that at least 52 crates containing new air-defence systems and spare parts have been smuggled into Iraq from Syria since the start of December. The Russian-made equipment, which has been purchased through a Belorussian middleman, was taken into Iraq through al-Walid border crossing earlier this month.") (121502)
PRESS THIS.
This moron must think the west is completely populated by fools who will believe anything just because he says it.
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