The road to Damascus

NEW YORK/BERLIN/DAMASCUS (Own report) – Today’s discussion in the German UN examination report on Hariri’s murder is to enforce closer co-operation between the Syrian government and the Western occupying forces in the nearby East. The UN report, which a public prosecutor from Berlin is taking responsibility for, is harbouring unproven suspicions that are all directed at Damascus. According to this report, the Syrian president’s familiar surroundings are alleged to have been the scene of the assassination which took place in order to punish Hariri, a politician from the neighbouring country of Lebanon, for not showing enough loyalty. As members of the UN security council themselves concede, today’s meeting is only partially about the elucidation of the assassination. Rather, it is said that Syria is to expand its operative and strategic aid activities for the Western triad and to take over its increased tasks of repression or else it must change its leadership. For a long time, the USA has reportedly been taking advantage of Syrian anti-torture legislation. The Federal Republic of Germany also praises Damascus, but expects unconditional subordination in military and economic matters.

Before today’s UN security council meeting, the British foreign minister admitted that "the mere fact" that the talks were at a high level was already enough to fulfil the actual purpose of the examination report: the fact that Damascus should hear "a harsh piece of news" in order to be able to work together "with the international community".[1] What is meant is the Western war party that is in a hopeless situation in Iraq and which wants to make neighbouring Syria fight openly on the side of the occupying forces.

Torture

For a long time, Damascus has been complying with orders that it has reliably fulfilled for the government offices in the USA and the Federal Republic of Germany. Both countries are represented in the Syrian capital by public employees who belong to personnel working in the secret service and maintain a lot of contact with corresponding offices to do with the Syrian apparatus of state. That’s how Syrian specialists for the USA deal with torture measures, to which a Canadian citizen fell victim. The man was arrested in September 2002 during a stop-over in the New York airport. He was held in solitary confinement for ten days without any legal representation or telephone contact, and was deported to Damascus in a disguised US government plane. A later examination revealed that Syrian intermediaries continued to deprive the abducted man of his rights. This man was accused of contacts with the Afghan resistance which had no basis in evidence. The Canadian had to spend twelve months altogether in the underground cell before he was set free due to international protests.[2] Civil servants of the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) are also very well-informed of the torture measures in the Syrian access area.

Oil

The Foreign Office stresses that relations between Berlin and Damascus have "clearly been revived" since the current Syrian president’s assumption of office [3], and are regarded as good to satisfactory. Chancellor Schröder visited the Syrian capital in October 2000 to settle the matter of Syrian debt servicing. Bashar al-Assad was welcomed in Berlin in July 2001. In the course of the negotiations, the German side succeeded in placing their own specialists into several Syrian ministries. These specialists were working there as "advisers".[4] Task forces to do with the "Technical Relief Organisation" (THW) and the "Society for Technical Co-operation" (GTZ) work in the Syrian Aleppo, among other places [5], and the Foreign Office maintains archaeological excavation sites in various regions. Germany is the most important country for Syrian supplies and exports electronic produce, machines, chemical products and motor vehicles to Damascus. The Federal Republic, on the other hand, obtains oil above all, from Syria – almost a hundred per cent of its imports.

Agreement

With its clear opening up to the West, the Syrian leadership hoped to satisfy economic and political demands from the USA and EU without losing its own resources. At the same time, during background talks, the regime emphasised that it was aware of order tasks in the Lebanon that kept Palestinian forces under control and relieved the West of military interventions. For these purposes, Damascus has provided tens of thousands of soldiers who put real military management in place in the Lebanon – in agreement with the majority of the Lebanese elites, with the USA and Israel.

Lack of interest

The arrangement broke down after the Western occupation of Iraq and the fall of the intifada. Since then, the USA has been backing its own military presence and unconditional allegiance of the regional governments. This has brought about a decline in the importance of Syrian power politics in the Lebanon. These power politics recently led to the complete withdrawal of Syrian troops. EU troops are under discussion as a replacement, particularly federal army units.[6] Without the order task it has had in the nearby East up to now, Damascus will no longer be of interest to the West. Its political leadership is being urged to surrender privileges it has enjoyed up to now, otherwise it may face being overthrown by force.

Friendly support

The foreseeable capitulation of families for the sake of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad awakens German greed for damascene foreign policy, which has been an influential area up to now. The takeover of Lebanon’s and Syria’s electronic media, which can be found for the most part in the possession of the Assad clans, is of considerable economic interest. Interest groups in Paris and Berlin are competing for partnership of the lucrative cellular radio company and the extensive depositing of cement. They have friendly support from the UN security council, which intends to pave the road to Damascus with sanctions today.

[1] Son of Slain Lebanese Seeks Special Tribunal; The New York Times 24.10.2005
[2] Maher Arar: Timeline; www.cbc.ca/news/background/arar/
[3], [4] Beziehungen zwischen Syrien und Deutschland; Länder- und Reiseinformationen des Auswärtigen Amts
[5] s. dazu Wasser
[6] s. dazu Kriegserklärung

s. auch Der Ermittler, Transferstruktur und Druck auf Syrien


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