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One wonders why the United States shows special interest in
matters related to the murder of Rafik Al-Hariri, particularly
when Lebanon did not demand any US interference or the
involvement of the Security Council. The US behavior gives the
impression that it has appointed itself as the international
policeman.
The assassination of Hariri is, no doubt, a dastardly act
and a heinous crime deserving maximum punishment whoever may
be its perpetrators. This fact does not grant another country,
however powerful it may be, any special right to interfere in
the internal affairs of Lebanon. Such intervention is against
international law.
The constitution and activities of the Mehlis commission
have no sanction of international law or the UN Charter. Hence
all activities of the commission amount to a brazen violation
of the rights of both Syria and Lebanon.
The assassination of Hariri and the strange stance taken by
some powerful nations has a touch of masterly cunningness. It
also reveals some undeclared interests behind the tragic
developments. The world has watched identical scenarios in
recent history. The siege imposed on Syria and the charges
against the country are reminiscent of the sanctions against
Iraq before its unjustifiable occupation by the US and British
forces. In the case of Syria there is, nevertheless, a
difference. This time the US and its allies dont want to
repeat the mistake of going for a war without Security
Councils endorsement as was done in the case of Iraq.
Therefore the US with the support of France is keen to
exact a UN condemnation of Syria before going ahead with any
punitive action against Damascus.
It is quite naïve to suppose that Washington adopts an
anti-Syrian policy just to fight the terrorist menace or as a
natural reaction to the Sept. 11 attacks. It is common
knowledge that the Western interventions in Arab countries
have nothing to do with the war on terror; it has much more
deeper designs than meet the eye. After the fall of the Soviet
Union, the vast oil deposits lying buried in the depths of the
Caspian Sea and surrounding countries have been an
irresistible temptation for the Western powers, particularly
the United States.
The US meddling in the Central Asia with efforts to bring
the countries of the region to the US fold did not produce the
desired results. The US feels that in addition to the Middle
Eastern countries Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan
should remain under its sphere of influence. A cursory look at
the map of the region shows that all these countries are
strategically placed on the road to the valuable resources in
the Caspian region. This is the obvious reason why Washington
grabbed the opportunity offered by the Sept. 11 attacks to
raise the bogey of international terror and start an all-out
war. The real goal is to gain the control of the region in a
phased manner.
All knows the rest of the story. Iraq was falsely charged
with stockpiling weapons of mass destruction at secret places
threatening the security of the United States, which claimed
that it, therefore, had the right to attack and replace the
ruling Iraqi government. However it did not take long for the
world to learn that all the charges were framed with the aim
of carrying out some ulterior Anglo-American schemes.
Now that the Iraq war has ended the way the US and Britain
wanted the next target is Syria. France joins the US in
calling Syria a terrorist nation and demanding a
regime-change. The real reason why Syria is at the top of the
American hit list is that Damascus refused to dance to the
Western tune as several other countries are doing.
Why Syria before Iran? The answer is very simple. An attack
and occupation of Iran is not as simple as it looks. The US is
still sinking in Iraqi quagmire. A probable nuclear threat
from Iran has also to consider. On the other hand, the
military victory of the US in Iraq and the presence of its
forces in the region make the occupation of Syria easy. The
march on Iran after crushing Syria is likely to make the
battle for Iran less hazardous.
In brief the Western attacks in the Middle East is neither
for the sake of fighting terror nor for imposing democracy. It
is in fact to enrich the American economy and ensure cheap and
uninterrupted fuel supply, particularly after China has
notched up to the second position among the world powers. A
weakened Iraq and Syria would also guarantee the security of
Israel.
Therefore it is the duty of all peace-loving people of the
world to back Syria against a US-French war of aggression.
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