Israel Matzav

US warns Syria's neighbors about WMD cache, forgets one neighbor

The United States has warned Syria's neighbors about the possibility of Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons finding their way across their borders after Assad's fall. Guess which neighbor was not warned... (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).

This week, the State Department sent a diplomatic demarche to Syria's neighbors Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, warning them about the possibility of Syria's WMDs crossing their borders and offering U.S. government help in dealing with the problem, three Obama administration officials confirmed to The Cable. For concerned parties both inside and outside the U.S. government, the demarche signifies that the United States is increasingly developing plans to deal with the dangers of a post-Assad Syria -- while simultaneously highlighting the lack of planning for how to directly bring about Assad's downfall.

Isn't it strange that they included Saudi Arabia but forgot to include another country that shares a border with Syria? You know, one that's just west of Syria....

The demarche made four specific points, according to other U.S. officials who offered a fuller account to The Cable. It communicated the U.S. government's recognition that there is a highly active chemical warfare program in Syria, which is complemented by ballistic-missile delivery capability. It further emphasized that that any potential political transition in Syria could raise serious questions about the regime's control over proliferation-sensitive material.

Third, the State Department wanted Syria's neighbors to know that should the Assad regime fall, the security of its WMD stockpile -- as well as its control over conventional weapons like MANPADS (shoulder-fired rocket launchers) -- could come into question and could pose a serious threat to regional security. Lastly, the demarche emphasized that the U.S. government stands ready to support neighboring countries to provide border-related security cooperation.

Maybe they figure Israel doesn't need American support to deal with this? Hmmmm.

Labels: Bashar al-Assad, chemical weapons, Syrian uprising

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:23 PM