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<font size=2 color="#FF0000"><b><br><br>
</b></font><font face="symbol" size=5>·</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=1>
<b> </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=1>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=5>Damascus Must Give Up Its
Weapons Of Mass Destruction Or Face Ostracism - Even If Neighbouring
Israel Keeps Its Nuclear Arms<br><br>
</b></font><font face="symbol" size=5>·</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=1>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=5><b>Pentagon Presses For U.S.
Operation In Lebanon<br><br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=5 color="#0000FF"> <br><br>
PENTAGON PRESSES FOR U.S. OPERATION IN LEBANON<br><br>
</b></font><font face="verdana" size=2><a href="http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2004/january/01_08_1.html">http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2004/january/01_08_1.html</a><br><br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=3><b> <br><br>
</b></font><font face="verdana" size=2>WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The U.S.
Defense Department is said to be mulling a proposal to expand special
operations forces and send them to destroy insurgency strongholds along
the Lebanese-Syrian border. <br><br>
U.S. defense sources said the proposal is being examined by Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. They said the plan calls for a multi-pronged
attack on insurgency strongholds in such countries as Lebanon and
Somalia. <br><br>
"The global war on terror is continuing, and it will for the
foreseeable future," Rumsfeld, who did not cite future U.S.
counter-insurgency targets, said on Tuesday. "As we prosecute the
war, we'll need to continue to strengthen, improve and transform our
forces; modernize and restructure programs and commands." <br><br>
The London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat reported on Wednesday that the proposal
submitted to Rumsfeld was the result of the secretary's decision to
expand the U.S. war against Al Qaida and its allies. The Saudi-owned
newspaper quoted U.S. sources as saying the first step being mulled by
Rumsfeld is for a U.S. military attack on Al Qaida strongholds in Somalia
as early as this month. <br><br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=1><b>NOTE: The above is not the full
item<br><br>
</b></font><font face="arial" size=2> <br><br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=5 color="#0000FF"><b>Assad given weapons
ultimatum<br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=3>By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic
Editor<br>
</b></font><i>(Filed: 07/01/2004) <br><br>
</i><font face="verdana" size=1><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$2LJXDU5ENWKMFQFIQMFSFF4AVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2004/01/07/wsyria07.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/01/07/ixworld.html">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$2LJXDU5ENWKMFQFIQMFSFF4AVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2004/01/07/wsyria07.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/01/07/ixworld.html</a><br><br>
America</font><font size=3> and Britain rebuffed President Bashar Assad
of Syria yesterday, telling him bluntly that Damascus must give up its
weapons of mass destruction or face ostracism - even if neighbouring
Israel keeps its nuclear arms.<br><br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=1>"</font><font size=3>Israel is in
a unique position as the only state whose very existence is
threatened," said a senior British Government source yesterday.
"There is no point in asking for a WMD-free Middle East while there
are countries parading missiles with a sign up the side saying Death to
Israel."<br><br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=1>Isolated since the fall of Saddam
Hussein in </font><font size=3>Iraq, Mr Assad is under strong pressure to
follow the
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$DSLHT0QCNH4ZDQFIQMFSFF4AVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2003/12/24/wlibya24.xml">lead
given by Libya's Col Muammar Gaddafi</a>, who last month announced the
dismantling of his secret non-conventional weapons.<br><br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=1>But the Syrian leader
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$DSLHT0QCNH4ZDQFIQMFSFF4AVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2004/01/06/wsyria06.xml">told
The Telegraph this week</a> that he would not agree to destroy his
chemical weapons unless </font><font size=3>Israel abandoned its
undeclared nuclear arsenal, estimated at between 100 and 200 warheads.
"Unless this applies to all countries, we are wasting our
time," he said.<br><br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=1>Washington</font><font size=3> and
London have told Damascus that giving up its well-developed chemical
arsenal and its embryonic biological programme agents is the price for
better relations with America.<br><br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=1>They say they support the idea of a
</font><font size=3>Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction but
have all but abandoned the pretence of an even-handed policy. They
believe that "rogue" states such as Syria must disarm first,
and, by implication, Israel will be last. <br><br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=1>A senior western diplomatic source
said: "They [the Syrians] have to make a decision about whether the
chemical weapons will make much of a difference against the Israelis, or
whether they would not be in a better position by saying, 'We're giving
it up and now we want a Middle East free of weapons of mass
destruction'.<br><br>
"The pressure will rise on the Israelis as Arab states give up their
weapons of mass destruction."<br><br>
Despite the new attempt by Mr Assad to charm the West - which included a
ground-breaking trip yesterday to </font><font size=3>Turkey, a close
American ally - there is a growing sense of frustration with his failure
to reform the country since taking over after his father's death in
2000.<br><br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=1>Syria</font><font size=3> has caused
particular anger by criticising the war in Iraq, hailing the resistance
by Saddam loyalists, and failing to prevent extremists from crossing the
border into Iraq to fight US-led forces.<br><br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=1>Moreover, </font><font size=3>Britain
believes Syria not only harbours Palestinian extremist groups, but is
actively preventing them from agreeing to an Egyptian-mediated
Palestinian ceasefire.<br><br>
<br>
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