Lieberman urges forming emergency unity gov't to face Iranian threat
Syrian President Bashar Assad welcoming his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Damascus on Thursday. (AP)
21 July 2007
By Yoav Stern , Haaretz Correspondent
Minister of Strategic Threats Avigdor Lieberman on Saturday called for the establishment of an emergency national unity government in light of the strategic threat posed by the tightening ties between Syria and Iran.
The right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu patry head urged Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the chairman of the opposition Benjamin Netanyahu to form an alliance after the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Ashraq Al-Awsat reported Saturday that Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had pledged to help Syria conduct nuclear research during a visit to Damascus earlier this week.
In exchange, Syria agreed not to engage in peace talks with Israel, the newspaper reported. According to the report, Iran also pledged to provide Syria with $1 billion in military aid to purchase arms from Russia and North Korea.
In response to this report, Lieberman said that the relations between Syrian President Bashar Assad and Ahmadinejad "require Israel to reevaluate the political and military preparation" and added that "the Iranian threat is situated outside any political discussion, and therefore I urge Prime Minister Olmert and opposition chair Netanyahu to consider forming an emergency national unity government."
21 July 2007
By Yoav Stern , Haaretz Correspondent
Minister of Strategic Threats Avigdor Lieberman on Saturday called for the establishment of an emergency national unity government in light of the strategic threat posed by the tightening ties between Syria and Iran.
The right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu patry head urged Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the chairman of the opposition Benjamin Netanyahu to form an alliance after the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Ashraq Al-Awsat reported Saturday that Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had pledged to help Syria conduct nuclear research during a visit to Damascus earlier this week.
In exchange, Syria agreed not to engage in peace talks with Israel, the newspaper reported. According to the report, Iran also pledged to provide Syria with $1 billion in military aid to purchase arms from Russia and North Korea.
In response to this report, Lieberman said that the relations between Syrian President Bashar Assad and Ahmadinejad "require Israel to reevaluate the political and military preparation" and added that "the Iranian threat is situated outside any political discussion, and therefore I urge Prime Minister Olmert and opposition chair Netanyahu to consider forming an emergency national unity government."
On Friday, Olmert called on Assad to begin direct peace negotiations, without American mediation. The report was filed by the newspaper's internationally respected Iranian correspondent Ali Nouri Zadeh, and is based comments made by an Iranian source who followed the talks in Damascus.
It stated that Syria would purchase 400 Russian tanks, 18 MIG-31 fighter jets, and additional up-to-date military equipment.
Ahmadinejad also promised to train Syrian air force and naval officers in Iran, and pledged to construct a factory in Syria that would produce medium-range missiles. Iran will also supply Syria's navy with missiles, and provide the Syrian army with Iranian-made tanks and armored vehicles.
Iran also pledged to continue supporting Syria's position on affairs concerning Lebanon.
Ahmadinejad also promised to train Syrian air force and naval officers in Iran, and pledged to construct a factory in Syria that would produce medium-range missiles. Iran will also supply Syria's navy with missiles, and provide the Syrian army with Iranian-made tanks and armored vehicles.Iran also pledged to continue supporting Syria's position on affairs concerning Lebanon.
During his visit to Damascus on Thursday, Ahmadinejad met with Assad, Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Hamas political chief Khaled Meshal.
Ahmadinejad welcomed what he called Hezbollah's victory over Israel in last summer's war in Lebanon and called for a similar "victory" this summer.
The source stressed while the two countries close relations had in the past been based on mutual animosity toward former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, the relations are now based on the fact that both countries face threats by the United States and Israel.
In addition, the source said that Tehran realizes that Syria currently has no allies in the Arab world, other than Qatar, or in Europe.
Iran and Syria are main backers of Hezbollah, a Shi'ite group that fought a war with Israel last year and holds two Israel Defense Forces soldiers it wants to exchange for Arab prisoners held by Israel. Syria has denied Western accusations of an alleged flow through its territory of Iranian-supplied weapons to Hezbollah.
Syria is Iran's closest Arab ally. The two countries have had close relations since 1980 when Syria sided with Iran against Iraq in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. Both countries face U.S. accusations of fueling violence in Iraq, supporting Hezbollah, which Washington labels a terrorist organization. They are also accused of supporting anti-Israeli militant Palestinian groups, like the Islamic Hamas.
Although Syria's isolation by the West has eased in recent months, Damascus has shown no signs of curbing its ties with Tehran as Israel and Washington demand.
The two have growing economic ties, with the annual two-way trade estimated at about $200 million. Iranian companies have invested more than $1 billion in Syria, in sectors such as power generation, automobiles, cement and agriculture, Syrian newspapers reported Thursday.
Syria's most important exports to Iran are cotton and textiles, olive oil and fruits. Iranian exports to Syria are mainly industrial equipment, spare parts, chemicals and locomotives.
More than half a million Iranian tourists visit Syria annually, touring Shiite Muslim religious sites.
Iran: No secret arms deal with Syria
22 July 2007
TEHRAN, Iran -Iran's foreign ministry spokesman on Sunday dismissed as a "media game" recent reports of a secret arms deal with Syria allegedly made in return for an agreement that Damascus would not hold peace talks with Israel.
Mohammad Ali Hosseini refused to provide confirmation of the deal and questioned how the media would know about it if it was confidential.
"This is a media game," said Hosseini during his weekly news briefing. "It is not confirmed."
The Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported Saturday that Iran would provide $1 billion to Syria for advanced weapons procurement and would assist the country with nuclear research and the development of chemical weapons, with the understanding that Damascus would not negotiate peace with Israel.
The deal was allegedly signed Thursday when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Syria, said the newspaper. Israeli media later rebroadcast the report.
Both Syrian President Bashar Assad and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have publicly called for renewed peace talks recently, but have clashed over the specifics.
Assad has demanded a guarantee that Israel would pull out of all of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau captured from Syria in the 1967 war. He has also demanded a mediator or "honest broker" for the talks. Olmert has refused to commit in advance to a full withdrawal and has indicated a preference for direct talks.
Syria is Iran's closest Arab ally. The two countries have had close relations since 1980 when Syria sided with Persian Iran against Iraq in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.
Both countries face U.S. accusations of fueling violence in Iraq and supporting Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrilla group, which Washington labels a terrorist organization. They are also accused of supporting militant anti-Israeli Palestinian groups, like Hamas.
Mohammad Ali Hosseini refused to provide confirmation of the deal and questioned how the media would know about it if it was confidential.
"This is a media game," said Hosseini during his weekly news briefing. "It is not confirmed."
The Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported Saturday that Iran would provide $1 billion to Syria for advanced weapons procurement and would assist the country with nuclear research and the development of chemical weapons, with the understanding that Damascus would not negotiate peace with Israel.
The deal was allegedly signed Thursday when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Syria, said the newspaper. Israeli media later rebroadcast the report.
Both Syrian President Bashar Assad and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have publicly called for renewed peace talks recently, but have clashed over the specifics.
Assad has demanded a guarantee that Israel would pull out of all of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau captured from Syria in the 1967 war. He has also demanded a mediator or "honest broker" for the talks. Olmert has refused to commit in advance to a full withdrawal and has indicated a preference for direct talks.
Syria is Iran's closest Arab ally. The two countries have had close relations since 1980 when Syria sided with Persian Iran against Iraq in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.
Both countries face U.S. accusations of fueling violence in Iraq and supporting Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrilla group, which Washington labels a terrorist organization. They are also accused of supporting militant anti-Israeli Palestinian groups, like Hamas.
Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad following his arrival in Damascus, July 19, 2007. (Jamal Saidi/Reuters) Further Reading:
posted by HRM Deborah of Israel and the Messenger of Peace at 7:08 AM
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