Gold9472
05-24-2005, 05:39 PM
Syria has halted all links with US military, CIA
Washington dismisses Syria’s remarks, saying cooperation between them is minimal, sporadic.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=13588
WASHINGTON - Syria has halted military and intelligence cooperation with Washington because of "unfair" accusations that it has not done enough to keep insurgents out of Iraq, its ambassador said in an interview published Tuesday.
The State Department dismissed the Syrian's remarks, saying cooperation between the two governments was "minimal" and "sporadic" anyway.
Imad Moustapha, the Syrian ambassador to Washington, told the New York Times his government had "severed all links" to the US military and the CIA in the last 10 days.
The ambassador said he believed the administration of US President George W. Bush had decided "to escalate the situation with Syria" despite the steps Damascus has taken against the insurgents in Iraq and the withdrawal of its troops from Lebanon.
"I'm not going to attach any tremendous importance to the statement, frankly, given the minimal and sporadic nature of the kind of a cooperation we had," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
"I wouldn't say that they have cut any particular regular and ongoing cooperation because there just hasn't been regular and ongoing cooperation," he said.
A Pentagon spokesman said the US Defense Department had not been informed of any change in military relations with Syria. A spokesperson for the CIA declined to comment, saying the agency does not discuss its relations with foreign governments.
Senior US military officials have said low-ranking US and Syrian officers maintain contact along the Iraqi border.
In an interview with CNN later in the day, Moustapha appeared to soften his remarks, saying Syria had cooperated with the United States in the past and wanted to continue to do so but US attacks on it had to stop.
"We provided the United States with a wealth of information. We actually gave what is called actionable information to the United States that helped prevent two planned attacks against Americans," he said
"We're saying this is not happening today because of this state of affairs between us and the United States," he said.
"We are trying to tell the United States that we are willing to engage with you constructively. We want a good relationship with you. But you have to stop this. We think it is unfair and it is unconstructive," he told CNN.
Moustapha told the Times US complaints had renewed since February when former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's half brother was captured in Syria and handed over to Iraqi authorities.
"We thought, why should we continue to cooperate," the ambassador told the Times.
Moustapha was interviewed by the Times on Friday, the same day US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chided Damascus for "allowing its territory to be used to organize terrorist attacks against innocent Iraqis."
A senior US military official in Baghdad last week charged that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the top Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, met with top lieutenants in Syria recently and ordered them to step up car bombings in Iraq.
"It's very important that the Syrian government do everything within its power to keep violence from migrating or being planned in Syria into Iraq," General John Abizaid, the commander of US forces in the Middle East, told reporters in Washington last week.
The Times said Syria's stance was the focus of top-level discussions about what new steps might be taken against it, including possible diplomatic, economic or military action that would be limited to insurgent movements along the border.
"There's a lot of discussion about what to do about Syria and what a problem it is," said a US official who works for a government agency that has been involved in the debate.
Washington dismisses Syria’s remarks, saying cooperation between them is minimal, sporadic.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=13588
WASHINGTON - Syria has halted military and intelligence cooperation with Washington because of "unfair" accusations that it has not done enough to keep insurgents out of Iraq, its ambassador said in an interview published Tuesday.
The State Department dismissed the Syrian's remarks, saying cooperation between the two governments was "minimal" and "sporadic" anyway.
Imad Moustapha, the Syrian ambassador to Washington, told the New York Times his government had "severed all links" to the US military and the CIA in the last 10 days.
The ambassador said he believed the administration of US President George W. Bush had decided "to escalate the situation with Syria" despite the steps Damascus has taken against the insurgents in Iraq and the withdrawal of its troops from Lebanon.
"I'm not going to attach any tremendous importance to the statement, frankly, given the minimal and sporadic nature of the kind of a cooperation we had," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
"I wouldn't say that they have cut any particular regular and ongoing cooperation because there just hasn't been regular and ongoing cooperation," he said.
A Pentagon spokesman said the US Defense Department had not been informed of any change in military relations with Syria. A spokesperson for the CIA declined to comment, saying the agency does not discuss its relations with foreign governments.
Senior US military officials have said low-ranking US and Syrian officers maintain contact along the Iraqi border.
In an interview with CNN later in the day, Moustapha appeared to soften his remarks, saying Syria had cooperated with the United States in the past and wanted to continue to do so but US attacks on it had to stop.
"We provided the United States with a wealth of information. We actually gave what is called actionable information to the United States that helped prevent two planned attacks against Americans," he said
"We're saying this is not happening today because of this state of affairs between us and the United States," he said.
"We are trying to tell the United States that we are willing to engage with you constructively. We want a good relationship with you. But you have to stop this. We think it is unfair and it is unconstructive," he told CNN.
Moustapha told the Times US complaints had renewed since February when former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's half brother was captured in Syria and handed over to Iraqi authorities.
"We thought, why should we continue to cooperate," the ambassador told the Times.
Moustapha was interviewed by the Times on Friday, the same day US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chided Damascus for "allowing its territory to be used to organize terrorist attacks against innocent Iraqis."
A senior US military official in Baghdad last week charged that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the top Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, met with top lieutenants in Syria recently and ordered them to step up car bombings in Iraq.
"It's very important that the Syrian government do everything within its power to keep violence from migrating or being planned in Syria into Iraq," General John Abizaid, the commander of US forces in the Middle East, told reporters in Washington last week.
The Times said Syria's stance was the focus of top-level discussions about what new steps might be taken against it, including possible diplomatic, economic or military action that would be limited to insurgent movements along the border.
"There's a lot of discussion about what to do about Syria and what a problem it is," said a US official who works for a government agency that has been involved in the debate.