Session has started. Please submit your questions. We apologize for not being able to answer all questions due to time limitation.
Answer
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Name
majda
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Profession
Question
Syria’s recently made some vaguely threatening statements about retaliating against any further Israeli encroachments on its territory. Isn’t this just a bluff? I figure if they were going to hit back, it would have happened already. Furthermore, I think 1982 decisively proved that Syria is militarily unequipped to deal with Israel.
Answer
I think that the Syrian speaker really meant what she said when she was referring to article 51 of UN charter, which states that Syria is capable of retaliating in the form that it finds suitable. During the first time we retaliated to the Israeli raid on Ain al-Saheb village when we appealed to the security council. This is within the framework of Syrian diplomacy, which abides by international standards. Syria is an unstable member in the security council, it wants to block Sharon's attempt to export his domestic crisis to neighboring Arab countries, being certain of American protection in the security council.
In 1982, I do not think that Syria could fight Israeli forces. What counts is the results which led to the aggravation of resistance, and this occupation left Lebanon for good in May 2000. Only Shabaa is still occupied and it awaits liberation.
Name
Hassan
- Canada
Profession
Question
Salam,
What are the chances that Syria will be part of US invading countries...I heard that if Bush succeeds to win the next election he will invade Syria after stablizing Irak. What do you think?
Also, do you think Israel is trying to make this happen by that lastest aggression against Syria?
What is the position of Egypt if Israel does attack Syria knowing that Egypt has always been a commited partner to Syria in 1973 war?
Thank you
Answer
In an answer to your first question, I think that the US will invade Syria soon, especially if Bush wins a second term. American forces are already on Iraqi borders, only 200 km away from Damascus. Yet the Iraqi resistance might still distract and exhaust US forces for a long time to come.
With respect to your second question, the Egyptians have always helped Syria and protected it from foreign invasions, especially when the crisis was related to Israel, yet we should ask Egypt for a clearer attitude. Yet it remains clear that Egypt will stand beside Syria if it were to be invaded by the US.
Name
Jim
- United States
Profession
Question
What is the extent of US sanctions on Syria? And what can Syria do to oppose those measures?
Answer
Trade-wise, the extent of the sanctions is very little and I don’t think Syria will be deceived by such pressures, because the national resistance in Syria is very steadfast. On the other hand, reducing US diplomatic representation will neither affect Syria nor its national attitudes. Syrian relations with Lebanon are positive and strong. Lebanon and Syria are committed to each other in defense and resistance, especially when that involves Israel or USA.
Name
Mike
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Profession
Question
I recall many people were pleased to learn that Syria was elected to the Security Council. Now that Syria’s actually been bombed, has the Syrian seat done any good? Would things have been different if you hadn’t had that seat?
Answer
There is no doubt that the Syrian membership in the Security Council helped Syria in further promoting its appeal against Israel. But in anyway if Syria wasn’t in the Security Council many friendly countries would have expressed the same Syrian attitude, especially when the subject is a direct Israeli attack on Syrian territories.
Name
Hoda
- Syria
Profession
Question
Has Syria taken any concrete steps pertaining to the bombing? Or is it just more Arab blustering and words?
Answer
Syria has taken a clear attitude against the Israeli attack, and there are two ways to retaliate: first, diplomatically, by appealing to the Security Council; second, by self-defense. Syria prefers the first option because it realized that it was the provocative intention of the Israeli government to export its crisis. However, any further attack is likely to face defensive retaliation, a Syrian right granted by the UN.
Name
Peter
- Hong Kong
Profession
Journalist
Question
Some suggest that the bombing of Syria by Sharon was only to show its power and make a case to eliminate the atomic sites of Iran, doing a job that Bush could not do as he is engaged in Iraq and faces a Election Year. What's your comment, Sir?
Answer
I agree. Israel received the green light to start this attack, which might expand to Iran. A basic example of such behavior was when the Israeli forces raided the Iraqi atomic reactor.
Name
Malik
- Syria
Profession
Question
Are there actually any ongoing negotiations with the Israelis under the government of Sharon? Or have talks stalled completely? Are there any diplomatic efforts towards a return of the Golan?
Answer
Negotiations between Syria and Israel have stopped. Syria wants to liberate the Golan, but all negotiations regarding that matter stopped since the late President Hafiz al-Assad met with the American President in Geneva.
Name
'Alia
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Profession
Question
Why do people say "Islamic Fundamentalism", if Qur'an doesn't allow kill, terrorism, etc? If Syria helps Palestinians, why is it condemned as terrorist by the mass media?
Answer
Describing Muslims as fundamentalists is a Western expression. There is a difference between the Syrian and American perspectives on "terrorism." Syria sees that resistance is no way an act of terror, while Israel and the US perceive it as terrorism.
Name
J
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Profession
Question
Wasn’t Syria indeed a safe haven for a number of Arab and Islamic militant groups that operated in Palestine, allowing them to operate press offices and the like? Why is it unreasonable to assume there was a base there? Is not Syria supporting the struggle of the Palestinian people? In fact, I’d be disappointed to hear there were no bases!!!
Answer
There are no military bases for Palestinian groups in Syria. There are only media offices belonging to different Palestinian groups. There are more than 250,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria, treated fairly, equal to Syrian citizens.
Name
Amal
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Profession
Question
It is said that Syria received Iraq's mass destruction weapons before USA launched its war on Iraqi territiories. It is also said that Syrians are keeping a monetary deposit belonging to Saddam Hussein. What do you say?
Answer
Syria didn’t receive any weapons of mass destruction from Iraq. And it didn’t receive any monetary deposits from Iraq.
Name
Kat
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Profession
Question
Do you think that the balance of power in the region has been significantly altered now? With the Israeli blow to Syrian supremacy in its own territory, and the ending of the negotiations over the Golan, do you feel that Israel is sending a clear message saying that Syria simply does NOT matter anymore?
Another request, could you please clarify as to the reasons for the ending of the negotiations over the Golan that you referred to in an earlier answer?
Answer
Yes there is a dramatic change in the balance of power in the Middle East; the US forces are on the Iraqi–Syrian borders, ready to attack Syria. And Israel has been doing what it can to harm neighboring countries, especially Syria and Lebanon. The change of the balance of power will be straightened again when Arabic and Islamic countries support Syria and Lebanon in the face of Israel and the US.
Negotiations over the Golan stopped when Israel proposed to go back to the borders set in 1923, while Syria asked for the liberation of the occupied territories and going back to the 1976 borders. The difference between the two proposals is about 50 kms which Israel was planning to gain in violation of UN Resolution 242.
