Syria could be next U.S. target

By Kazi Mahmood, IOL Southeast Asia Correspondent

KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 (IslamOnline.net) - Following Syria’s proposal to the UN Security Council calling for the Middle East to be free of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the Middle East, sources in Jakarta said the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) must give total support to Damascus to succeed in its bid.

The NAM, headed by Malaysia with the country’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as its Chairman, will be asked to put all its weight behind Syria when a resolution on banning WMD’s in the Middle East will be tabled at the UN soon, IslamOnline.net was told on Friday.

The source, which is close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Indonesia, said that Indonesia will also support the move by Syria and that the largest Muslim nation will give all assistance possible to Syria and Malaysia.

The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry will urge the NAM and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to be at the vanguard in the war against terrorism and in the ban for all WMD’s.

However in Putra Jaya, Malaysia, there was caution on whether Malaysia should be involved directly in this resolution or should be a strong supporter of the NAM if the movement backs Syria.

In Indonesia, the press is already supporting the idea of banishing all WMD’s in the Middle East; at least newspapers published in Indonesian languages are not wasting their time to urge the government there to support Syria.

Republika newspaper said on Friday that Syria understood the entire game of Israel in the Middle East and had come out with the wild card of urging the banning of all WMDs in the region.

The paper clearly supports the Syrian move and its position on the issue will influence other newspapers in the region, creating public awareness and forcing officials to express their stand on the burning issue, an analyst said on Friday.

“The turn of events in Iraq and in the Middle East is creating a chain of reactions in this part of the world and the dynamic of this reaction will be seen when Muslims demonstrate in large numbers in support of the Syrian backed resolution,” Mohamad Isa told IslamOnline.net.

Israel is known to have nuclear weapons, undeclared and ready to use against any Arab states in case of war.

Israel also possesses a vast arsenal of WMD’s, which is in violation of several UN’s resolutions as well as the much trumpeted Nuclear proliferation treaty of which countries like North Korea and Iraq were urged not to violate.

Fresh resolutions by the UN to ban WMD’s in the Middle East will affect Israel primarily and will lead to inspections in Israel, said Isa.

He added that it will be interesting for the Muslim world to see the reaction of Israel, the US and Britain as well as the Arab allies of the US when Syria pushes for the anti-WMD resolution in the UN.

“Europe in its majority, Russia, China and most of the world will support the banning of WMD’s in the Middle East, the interesting question will be the US attitude,” Isa, who is attached to a think tank in Jakarta, told IslamOnline.

Malaysia will definitely support Syria though the Malaysian government has not yet issued any formal statement on the issue. Indonesia too is lagging in making any statements in support of a WMD ban in the Middle East.

“This is so because they want to see if Syria really pushes for the ban of the WMD in the Middle East. I believe Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and even the Philippines will support the Syrian initiative. Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia as well as other South East Asian nations will support any initiative to rid the world of WMD,” Isa said.

Officials in Jakarta said on Friday they believe France, Germany and Russia will support any move to disarm Israel of its “illegal” weaponry. They also believe the US will keep to its word on the “road map” and that the super power has been taken by surprise with the Syrian move to urge for a ban of the WMD.

“The Syrian move is a direct attack on the US and Israel, both responsible for the replenishing of the Zionist state’s arsenal of WMD, including nukes,” Isa said.

The fact that Israel has refused to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty is a sign that it will force the US to veto any resolutions to create a “WMD free zone” in the Middle East.

Syria’s move will probably be seen as an attempt to weaken Israel but the intention of Syria is also seen as a means by an Arab nation to really bring peace to the Middle East, said Isa.