Syria's Sincere Assistance
Oh look, here is the foreign minister of Syria, come to Iraq to address his counterpart parliamentarians in the government in Baghdad, to indicate the sincere willingness of his country to offer any and all assistance to their embattled neighbour. Syria wishes to convey the information that it is concerned about all the "unrest" in Iraq, and it will commit to doing its utmost to help calm the situation of murder and mayhem, unending blood-letting, ongoing carnage; offences to humanity. All of which is very unrestful.Following a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart, Mr. Hoshyar Zebari, Syria's foreign minister, Mr. Walid Moallem called for a timed withdrawal of foreign troops on the grounds that this will help "stabilize Iraq". For his part, Mr. Zebari, the Iraqi foreign minister stated that Mr. Moallem's visit would open "a new page in relations between the two countries"; that Iraq anticipated "complete relations with Syria".
Oh yes, indeed yes.
Mr. Moallem further stated that Syria is prepared to "back the country's political process and is ready to offer all help required in maintaining the unity of Iraq". Syria, after all, has had a lot of experience in this type of thing. Remember Lebanon? Refer to Lebanon's crippling civil war. Refer to Syria's kind assistance to Lebanon. Recall Syria's annexation of Lebanese wealth, resources, its beggaring of Lebanese national aspirations and sovereignty.
There's a lot of work cut out for Syria here in stabilizing Iraq and earning its undying gratitude. It will, of course, start with controlling its porous borders across which pour unabated suicide-bomber aspirants of Syrians, Egyptians, Saudis. Yes, there is some significant unrest and destabilization one could say:
- Gunmen kidnapped Iraq's deputy health minister from his home in a Sunni district of Baghdad yesterday and at least 55 people were killed in attacks across the country;
- Five westerners were kidnapped in southern Iraq;
- There was a mass abduction of dozens of men from a Baghdad ministry building;
- A suicide car bomber posing as a contractor loking for workers blew himself up among a crowd of labourers killing at least 22, wounding 44. The bomber was a Syrian, arrested along with two Egyptians and an Iraqi - brothers-in-arms.
- A group of farm labourers came under attack in a small village; 8 were killed, 2 wounded when their minibus was sprayed with bullets;
- Ten Iraqis were killed when four car bombs exploded within minutes of each other at a bus station in southeast Baghdad's largely Shia neighbourhood.
- Three children were killed in the northern town of Hawijah when a booby-trapped toy exploded.
- In the northern city of Kirkuk eleven people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up.
posted by Pieface @ Monday, November 20, 2006
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