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Syrian Chutzpa

Syria, a country which supports Iraq and international terrorism as well, decided to change the map of the Middle East. Its new dictator, Dr. Bashar Al-Assad, expresses his hope: to destroy Israel. Recently, Bashar Al-Assad granted an interview to the pro-Syrian daily Al-Safir (Lebanon). The interviewer was the editor Talal Salman. The following are excerpts:

"Israel Will Not Be a Legitimate State Even fn Peace is Accomplished' Assad: "...They [the Americans] removed their masks and said that they wanted oil and that they wanted to redraw the map of the region in accordance with the Israeli interests. Israel has a vested interest in dividing Iraq into small ethnic, national and ethnic mini-countries, so that Israel could enjoy legitimacy. There are countries in the Middle East with diverse nationalities, but they have social and historic cohesiveness. Despite the ethnic diversity within each nation, the social fabric of the region by and large in one. On the other hand, the [social] structure in Israel is an anomaly. It is a country with one characteristic, which is a religious characteristic. Its democracy stems from this characteristic. Its democracy stems from this characteristic. It is not a democracy based on the state's boundaries. Therefore, it is inconceivable that Israel will become a legitimate state even if the peace process is implemented, because its structure deviates from the regions norm, and maybe from the whole world..."

"Israel Control the American Administration, Therefore Re-Designing the Region Will Serve Its Interests" Assad: "Israeli interests are not necessarily in harmony with the American interests. America is interested in re-arranging the region as it sees fit. That could possible be by creating large or small countries, but Israel is interested in dividing the region on racial, religious, or ethnic basis. The Israeli lobby has clout in the U.S., which means that re-arranging the region and controlling its resources one way or the situation will be much harder for the Americans and the British."

"As Long as Israel Exists, Syria is Threatened and Is Ready for Confrontation"

Question: "Does Syria feel threatened by this war?" Assad: "As long as Israel exists, the threat exists. As long as there is aggression against an Arab country, and as long as there is a war close to our borders, the danger continues. Anyone who does not worry in such circumstances, does not see reality. Worry does not mean fear, but readiness for the confrontation... It the issue is just war, the military logic says that we are weak in comparison to a super-power. But the issue has to do with land, which is our land. You in Lebanon, your power is no match to Israel. Israel, militarily, is more powerful than you and maybe it is more powerful than all the Arab countries, or most of them. But the important thing is faith. Is there an equality of power between America and Iraq? Definitely not; however, the Iraqi people are standing fast and are defending their land courageously."

Question: "But, isn't the American occupation of an Arab country which borders with Syria a threat to Syria?" Assad: "That is why I say that it is natural that we are worried. It is natural in every sense."

Question: "Are you sure that you are capable of dealing with the danger of this threat?"

Assad: "Our conviction stems from our faith in the justice of our position and our nation, and is the result of our experience."