Tuesday, October 19, 2004
At the precise time when the American government is considering getting even tougher on Syria - a state sponsor of terrorism, a totalitarian torture and neo-Nazi state and foe of our project in Iraq and Middle East peace - the EU is looking to open up trade even further. Constructive engagement with a Fascist State? How will you ever monitor compliance? Certainly the threat of force will never be credible, and will the EU ever be serious about non-compliance with whatever conditions are part of the agreement? The world can't even agree that what's happening in Sudan is "genocide" for fear that they'll have to actually do something about it according to agreements that already exist. Syria could trot out a missile loaded with VX and the EU would never stand against them for fear of jeopardizing their alignment with the Arabs.
Haaretz - FM criticizes EU decision to sign cooperation treaty with Syria:
The Hebrew daily Maariv reported that Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom criticized the EU decision to wrap up the deal. The report said Shalom noted the United States was stepping up pressure on Syria, one of seven countries branded by the U.S. State Department as a sponsor of terrorism.
The "Association Agreement" is similar to those the EU has already concluded with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon and Morocco as part of a plan to build trade and political ties across the Mediterranean Sea.
Syria's was delayed by its reluctance to sign up to a clause committing to the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction that the EU has insisted upon in all such agreements since late 2003.
Negotiators wrapped up a deal last month by rewording the clause to satisfy both sides. EU officials declined to release the exact wording ahead of the signing of the document but said it was in keeping with the Union's demands...
I've no doubt they were stringent.
