With
Rice pounding on Syria all last week and now
Bolton and
Bush leaping on the Syrialiban bandwagon - the drumbeat to expanding the war is pounding.
The MSM is bundling Syria and Lebanon, in that order, in the blame game on the death of Hariri - despite the fact that, the lack of evidence implicating the brother of Bashar al-Assad, President of Syria, and other members of his inner circle,
were dropped from the report that was sent to the UN Security Council... for good reason it may have turned out.
The perception around the world is that Syria did indeed have a hand in this terrible bombing crime may have some problems.
Der Spiegel, in Germany, revealed
in an investigative piece today, that a central witness in UN-Hariri report is a convicted fraudster - who not only has been convicted several times for embezzlement and fraud (a la Chalabi), Zuheir Mohammed al-Siddiq received a large sum of money for his testimony from
an unknown third party. Reportedly he called his brothers from Paris saying; Now I'm a millionaire.
Contact between al Siddiq and the UN investigation team headed by Detlef Mehlis was allegedly made through Syrian dissidents. It turns out that he
is the one who implicated Bashar al-Asad's brother and brother-in-law in the killing and, according to the article, the Syrian government provided ample documentation to various western governments on al Siddiq.
The
German language article has not yet appeared on
Der Spiegel's English version site so I have translated it
here using Babelfish.Syrian Press is retaliating that the report should never have been released until it was completed and that the conspiracy has already started against Syria and Lebanon with the killing of Hariri.
"The main goal is to target Syria as a regime refused to bow to American policy and as it is forming a front to confront the American and Zionist hegemony schemes in the Arab region." states Champress, an electronic newspaper published by the Independent Media Group in Damascus.
In Cairo,
Former Assistant Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdullah al-Ash'al said: "The Mehlis report is confused and tries to interject Syria without giving any evidence." "...Mehlis mission is a political task and not judiciary and the report is based on a political conclusion and not on a judiciary one." Al-Ash'al added.
The actual UN Report is
available here.Funny, it makes no mention of
Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan,
found dead last week in his office of an apparent suicide three weeks after he was questioned by Mehlis's team.
Other reactions from the Arab Press,
from the BBC.Commentary in Syria's
Al-ThawrahThe report relies on statements and reports by Lebanese political and media figures that are hostile to Syria... This shows that there is a premeditated intention to politicize the investigation and have it take a specific course that serves the policy of pressure on Syria.
Commentary in Syria's
TishrinAll laws in the world regard a suspect as innocent until proven guilty; therefore, on what ground is Mehlis incriminating Syria if he himself says that what he has in his hands is only 'conjecture?'
Article in Syria's
Al-ThawrahDespite all Syria's cooperation with the investigation committee, the report alleged that Syria's cooperation was neither sufficient nor substantial... this just shows preconceived opinions and prefabricated accusations against Syria.
Commentary in Lebanon's
Al-SafirThe
Mehlis report is a crucial step forward and will not be the last on the long road to a trial.
editorial in Lebanon's
L'Orient Le JourA big sigh of relief at the spectacle of this long-awaited truth which has risen inexorably to the surface.
Commentary in Lebanon's
The Daily StarThe report... makes mixed but powerful political and legal statements, which spell trouble for Syria and the wider debilitating tradition of security-run Arab regimes...
The most important question... is whether indigenous Arab political and legal forces will be able to harness the credibility, power and courage to continue challenging and taming the modern Arab security state, now that the combination of mass Lebanese citizen activism and legitimate international intervention have paved the way for this historic possibility.
Commentary in London-based
Al-HayatThis investigation was a historic chance for Lebanon, and it is unlikely that such an event will be repeated. Those who were looking for 'the truth' should now use it to restore what the civil war has destroyed, especially with regard to people's minds and spirits.
editorial in Saudi GazetteThe Arabs are in a quandary... The worst-case scenario... is the well-founded fear among Arabs that the UN report will be exploited by the US and Israel to further their agenda in the region, similar to what the infamous UN-led investigation into Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction has done.
editorial in Saudi
Arab NewsWhen a respected neutral investigator names members of the inner circle of President Bashar Assad as involved in the dastardly murder, what Syria must do is to prove the charges wrong with evidence that will withstand judicial scrutiny.
But its first reaction has been one of angry denials. Damascus must do better than this, otherwise the serious allegations contained in the report will be a festering wound opening the way for further US-led moves for sanctions against Syria in the UN Security Council.
editorial in Saudi
Al-WatanThe Lebanese and Syrian governments should combine their efforts to study the report and cooperate, in order to find the true criminals and bring them to justice as soon as possible, as this is something in the interest of both countries.
editorial in Saudi
Al-JazirahWhile the Arab League strives to extinguish the eruption of Iraq's volcano, another volcano is about to erupt... since it is now expected that the UN Security Council will issue resolutions against Syria... This new phase of tension will give rise to violence that will affect the entire Arab region.
editorial in Egypt's
Al-AhramThe Mehlis report was no ordinary one... and its consequences will be dangerous... It is important for all Arab countries to use logic and convincing arguments. As for resorting to the argument that the report is politicised and is part of a plot against Syria... these are just words that will not benefit anyone.
editorial in Egypt's
Al-JumhuriyahThe Arab world, if it is truly united, should now stand by Syria and should not once again make the glaring mistake of keeping silent.
Commentary in Jordan's
Al-DusturThe Mehlis report, with its suggestions and implied accusations against Syria, is a new and reasonable pretext for US interference!... The report is a blatant example of international arrogance.
editorial in Sudan's
Al AyyamThere is no doubt that Syria will face hard times in the near future, and tension will also spread in Lebanon... There is no other way out for Syria but to stick... to what the report stated, that is, all those mentioned in the report will remain innocent until proven guilty.