Assad: Hizbullah is not my problem

[bemildred]

Syria bears no responsibility for the actions of Hizbullah, and Israel should not demand that Damascus reign in the Shi'ite terror group ahead of a peace deal, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview published Thursday, suggesting that Israel take up the matter with Lebanon.

"The longer the border, the bigger the peace," Assad told the Washington Post. "Hizbullah is on the Lebanese border, not Syrian. Hamas is on the Palestinian border… should look at those other tracks. They should be comprehensive. If you want peace, you need three peace treaties, on three tracks."

The Syrian leader remained ambiguous regarding Israel's demand that his country sever its special relationship with Iran, saying that the ties helped protect Syrian interests. "It's about who plays a role in this region, who supports my rights. It's not that complicated," he said.

Assad reiterated that he wanted assurances regarding Israel's willingness to fully withdraw from the Golan Heights before embarking on direct talks with Israel. He said he had yet to receive a response to a "border document" he sent to Israel in which he set down his territorial demands. Assad also insisted that the direct talks must be chaperoned by the Americans.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230111679749&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[azurnoir]

1. So is this Israels strategy?

First Olmert demands Fatah "remove" Hamas from before the Israeli government keeps to what its already agreed to at Annapolis now it wants Syria to "do something" about Hezbollah which is part of the Lebanese government and oh yeah it can't "hang out" with that Iran dude anymore either. Sounds like a spoiled prom queen who wants the football team to fight for her "favours" after awhile gotta ask is she worth it?

[bemildred]

2. It seemed to me it is more a matter of stuck in an unworkable situation

and hoping to get someone else to bail them out. There is also the matter of shifting blame. What good are enemies if you can't blame stuff on them? One only wishes Jabba were still around to "explain" it all to us. It is true, as you point out, that the political dialog is conducted in a deeply dishonest and unreliable way, but that is ordinary anywhere you go in politics; what is unusual is honesty and straightforwardness and reliability. Politicians and politics are ordinarily conducted in the crookedest way that the participants think that they can get away with.

I was primarily taken by Little Assad's "intransigent" attitude. Now that he has established diplomatic relations etc. with Lebanon, he is in a good position to say precisely this. Lebanon is not his problem to solve, and neither is Gaza, or Iran, or Iraq, or any of the rest of the Middle East. All he cares about is the Golan, and all he has to offer is "peace" with Syria. Given his domestic problems, he seems to feel remarkably relaxed.

[azurnoir]

3. Given his domestic problems,

he seems to feel remarkably relaxed. Reminds of this other guy over here whats his name you know ah heck won't matter soon anyway.

OK I'm going to admit ignorance I did not get the Jabba reference, except that there is a remarkably unattractive fat guy involved and there are more than one of those that it could be.

[bemildred]

4. "Jabba" == Ariel Sharon.

Near as I can tell, he's still "alive".

Little Assad used to be an eye doctor, so I expect he is smarter than what's-his-name. I have sort of kept an eye on him since his dad croaked, and I have to say that given where he started and who was out to get him, he has played his cards well. I don't mean to suggest I approve of the Damascus regime, but, as with Putin, it would be foolish not to notice ability to play the game.

[azurnoir]

5. Assad is indeed a good poker player

as for whats his name I have a cat that's smarter than him, little SOB shuts off my alarm clock in the morning. I thought it might be Sharon that you were referring to, really he should be "let go" as were as an act of kindness being kept breathing is worse than death.

[bemildred]

6. Seems somehow disrespectful, I agree. nt

[eyl]

7. So given this, why exactly

should Israel enter into peace negotiations with Syria? We're being asked to a return a highly important (from a strategic viewpoint, as well as for control of Israel's water supply) to Syria, and in return they'll maintain contacts with our enemies? (as I recall, the Israeli demand was primarily for Syria to cut off political support and transhipping of weapons to Hizbullah through its territory)

[bemildred]

8. He sounded deliberately ambiguous about that to me.

"It's about who plays a role in this region, who supports my rights. It's not that complicated,"

Sounds like an offer to sell out if I ever heard one. One presumes that any peace settlement would have to resolve those issues, and that no settlement will occur unless they are resolved.

[shira]

9. Syria still occupies Lebanon whenever they like

but Hezbollah is not their responsiblity. It's their buddy Iran's responsibility. Wait, let's deny Iranian responsibility too - that is sooo a RW meme. Lebanon's responsibility? Nope - otherwise Lebanon could pay dearly.

So whose responsibility is Hezbollah?

Are we playing the shell game here? Musical chairs? Who's taking responsibility for Hezbollah these days?

[azurnoir]

10. Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese government

it controls 11 of 30 parliamentary seats. This was part of the Doha Agreement in May of this year, although I am sure some parties would have much prefered civil war. Never the less that would make Hezbollah Lebanon's responsibility and perhaps Syria might be an ally in case of attack.

The Doha Agreement was an agreement reached by rival Lebanese factions on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 in Doha, Qatar. This Agreement marks the end of an 18-month long political crisis in Lebanon.

After battles broke out in Lebanon because of the ongoing political crisis, Qatar's prince Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani invited all Lebanese political parties to its capital Doha to seek an agreement, in order to end the ongoing political crisis and avoid an eventual civil war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doha_Agreement

[oberliner]

11. They also control an extra-governmental military force

This is in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which called for Hezbollah's disarmament.

The Hezbollah military force is independent of the Lebanese army and receives weapons and funding from outside Lebanon (Iran and Syria primarily).

[azurnoir]

13. True enough but their still Lebanons "problem children"

not Syria's or Iran's but IMO what the Israeli government is looking for is assurances that should they decide to go after Lebanon or Hezbollah, Syria will not support the Lebanese. Of course the official line will be that there is no war on the Lebanon only Hezbollah, Gaza only Hamas or America in Iraq we're only attacking insurgents. Reality is not as neat and clean as official lines however.

[bemildred]

12. "Israel Preparing For an Invasion of Gaza"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=228404&mesg_id=228404

So, can we also say: "Israel occupies Gaza whenever they like, but Hamas is not their responsibility, it's Egypt's responsibility. Etc."?