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June 21, 2002/Tamuz 11 5762, Vol. 54, No. 40
Syria's Assad playing with fire
GIL SEDAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
JERUSALEM - It was an awkward situation: Mikhail Wehbe, the Syrian ambassador to the United Nations who currently serves as president of the U.N. Security Council, invited Israeli Ambassador Yehuda Lancry to address the council - and was forced to listen to a sharply worded attack on Syria.
Lancry depicted Syria as one of the main fomenters of violence and instability in the Middle East.
"Syria, whose representative currently occupies the presidency of this council, continues to support and encourage acts of violence against Israeli citizens," Lancry said.
It was a rare opportunity for Israel to highlight the anomaly of Syria chairing the world's most prestigious peacekeeping body, while it continues to provide shelter for terrorist organizations in the region.
According to recent intelligence reports published in Israel, Syria continues to host Palestinian terror organizations, supplies Hezbollah with money and rockets, and is engaged in rebuilding a pipeline to transport Iraqi oil, defying international sanctions.
If Hezbollah continues to hoard long-range rockets along the border or renews attacks against Israel, Israel reportedly is determined to hit back hard.
Israel reportedly will not restrict itself to striking Hezbollah only, but also will aim at Syrian targets.
Two years ago, when the 30-something Bashar Assad took office after the death of his father, the sky seemed to be the limit. Assad, who had studied opthamology in Britain, was described as a reformist, Western-oriented statesman who would change Syria radically.
Some Israeli analysts say Assad simply is too green to realize he is playing with fire.
Others believe Assad may have genuinely wanted to introduce changes, but soon found that it was impossible.
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