If America Prevails Over Syria, Other Arab Nations Will Be Next
Angry at Syria for not complying with its demands before the Iraq War, Washington has sought to 'lay siege to, isolate and impose sanctions' on it ever since. According to this analysis from the Yemen Times, an 'America-Zionist plot' had former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri murdered, only to blame the killing on Damascus, isolating it and ruining Syria's close relations to Lebanon. It warns other Arab countries that if they don't help Syria stop Washington, one of them will be next.
By Professor Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Tarb 
January 23 - 25 Issue
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Syria is not unaware of the fact that there is an American political agenda progressing steadily with the intent to lay siege to, isolate and impose sanctions on Syria. Damascus fully comprehends that the Bush Administration has had this intent, even without the Mehlis report on the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister Hariri, although this has certainly furthered the American agenda. Even before the assassination, and the formation of the international investigation under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1595, the Bush Administration planned to target Syria.
America began its actual provocation against Syria when it invaded Iraq. Washington dispatched then secretary of State Colin Powell to Syria on May 2, 2003. Powell's visit coincided with the appointment of L. Paul Bremer as Iraq's High Commissioner and with the division of Iraq into three security zones. Powell's visit also came at a time when Bush Administration was in dire need of Syrian support. That is why Powell then submitted a set of demands, or rather dictates, to Syria.
The first was Syrian support for the American occupation of Iraq and its help putting an end to the resistance. Other demands were that Syria keeps its hands off of Lebanon, help with disarming Hezbollah and the closure of the offices of Palestinian factions in Damascus.
When Damascus failed to respond to these dictates, failing to comply with demands that contradict Syria's principles, America launched a fierce attack on Syria using every kind of maneuver.
Those provocative actions can be traced from the passage [by the U.S. Congress] of the Syria Accountability Act [Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003], and the attempt, with the participation of France, to isolate and impose sanctions on Syria with U.N. resolution 1559.
The resolution obliged Syria to withdraw from Lebanon. That resolution was followed with U.N. resolution 1595 that stipulated the formation of the international investigation committee into Hariri assassination, chaired by investigator Mehlis, and which was followed with resolution 1636 that granted Mehlis unlimited authority. This investigation was inevitable, after the American-Zionist scheme was set in motion with the February 14, 2005 Hariri assassination. The timing implies that Lebanon and Syria were targeted together. The plot succeeded. The Hariri assassination led to the sabotage of relations between the two neighboring countries and resulted in a schism within Lebanese politics, with one side supporting Syria and other opposing it.
So Syria pulled out of Lebanon, but that wasn't enough for Washington. America wants to eliminate all bonds between the two countries as a prelude to imposing international oversight of Lebanon.
America wants to avenge Syria for failing to abide by its demands submitted by Powell in May, 2003. For its part, wanted to punish Syria for its support of Hezbollah, the Lebanese resistance group that forced the Zionist State to withdraw from Lebanon on May 24, 2000.
The main objective is to besiege and isolate Syria. America and Israel intend to gain sole control of Lebanon to realize a number of goals, chief of which is to put the squeeze on Syria. America and Israel intend to bury Hezbollah alive, destroy the Palestinian resistance, and pave the way for international guardianship of Lebanon. The scheme has not yet achieved all its goals, but the maneuver has not yet abated, either.
The question is whether the region and its Arab and Muslim leaders will come to grips with this and adopt plans to resist, so that Syria is not left to stand alone to prevent a similar fate from befalling other countries.
Professor Abdulaziz Al-Tarb is an economist, a professor of Political Science and an expert in administrative development. He is the head of a number of professional associations, such as the Arab Group for Investment and Development.
VIDEO FROM SYRIA: ASSAD SAYS WEST HAS A PROBLEM WITH ARAB UNITY
Syrian TV, Syria:
President Bashar Al-Assad Speech to the Union of Arab Lawyers: The World Has a Problem with Pan-Arabism and Islam; Israel Assassinated Yasser Arafat
, January 21, 00:03:54, MEMRI
"We must not give up our national sovereignty. Even if we need to fight for our country, we must be prepared to do this."
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
[NEWS SLIDE SHOW: Syria]
