Europeans Reach Out to Hizbollah’s Backers (solution to Lebanon war)

[sabra]

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=1995385&C=europe

Europeans Reach Out to Hizbollah’s Backers


European governments are reaching out to Hizbollah’s foreign backers, Iran and Syria, in an attempt to engage them in a solution to the Lebanon war by recognizing their importance for regional stability.

While the United States, Israel’s main backer, is unwilling to talk at a senior level to either country -- seen as "rogue states" in Washington -- European foreign ministers have no such taboo if dialogue can help extinguish fires in the Middle East.

But beyond making Syrian and Iranian leaders feel respected, it is not clear what the Europeans can offer to persuade Damascus or Tehran to lean on Hizbollah guerrillas to stop firing missiles into Israel or accept eventual disarmament.

"There can be no effective solution without Syria," Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern said after European Union ministers held emergency talks on the crisis on Aug. 1.

[MrPrax]

1. Real Leadership...

Good to see constructive diplomacy

[marmar]

2. Old Europe at it again...

Using reason, diplomacy and engagement to come up with a solution. Damn peacemongers!!! :sarcasm:

[Ghost Dog]

3. The Spanish Foreign Minister

is today meeting Lebanese Gov Ministers (including Hezbollah) in Beirut, and may go on to Damascus.

[Ghost Dog]

4. Yes, I've had time to read the article now,

and this piece seems to paint a largely correct picture of what is going on from the mainstream European PoV.

Note That Syria, for the first time I believe, today clearly says it doesn't exclude the possibility of coming under attack (emphasis added):

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=100408&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17
Syria FM says Israeli attack not ruled out
Gulf Times
Published: Wednesday, 2 August, 2006, 12:39 PM Doha Time

DOHA: Syria said yesterday that it does not rule out coming under attack as Israel presses its three-week-old offensive against Lebanon with US backing.

The Israeli assault against its northern neighbour “comes as part of a premeditated plan and a political agenda agreed by the US, Israel and some other regional parties,” Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told reporters after talks in Doha.

“Those parties (will) try to achieve this agenda either by widening the Israeli aggression to include Syria or by imposing resolutions serving Israeli interests through the UN Security Council,” he said.

“This possibility exists, and Syria has to be wary of these hidden intentions,” Muallem said.

“There is an intention to widen the aggression to include Syria,” he added.

/more...

And notice also:

Syria Lashes Out at Absolute US Support to Israel
Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 04:30 PM

DAMASCUS, (SANA) - Assistant Secretary General of the Bath Arab Socialist Party said on Wednesday the absolute US support to Israeli "is posing as a new burden on international efforts to halt the Israeli aggression and work to realize peace in the region."

Receiving Greek left forces coalition, headed by Nicos Yana Polos who chairs the Social Political Movement in Greece, Mr. Abdullah al-Ahmar added "this support is also constituting an impulse for Israel to go ahead in its aggression and occupation as well as in rejecting the implementation of the international legitimacy resolutions."

[mom cat]

5. Hezbolla accepted the EU Peace Plan Strurday, July 29. Has

Iseral responded yet?

Link to info on peace plan:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1759337

[Ghost Dog]

6. Most disturbingly, in the way this semi-official "news agency",

apparently Israeli Government, IDF and Mossad-related (About The Israel Internet News Agency, Home Page) put it on the 31st July 2006:

http://www.israelnewsagency.com/warisraeliransyria880801.html

<snip>

Israel and the US, the only two countries with both the acumen to comprehend the Islamist threat to humanity and the willpower to openly confront the Islamist axis, are actively fighting a war against it at the same time. So far however, these two allies have refrained from creating a coordinated and synchronized alliance.

It’s time to change that. The first step is to recognize the current war for what it is, the latest theatre in an ongoing religious war between two inherently incompatible visions. On the one side, what can be best described as a Judeo-Christian alliance that promotes the core western values of democracy, freedom and individual rights. Lined up against it is an Islamist-fascist axis whose prime values are Jihad, dictatorial theocracy and the utter subservience of the individual to the state and its religion.

The next step is to coordinate tactics and strategy. The most logical move would be an Israel offensive against Syria, which has already created a casus belli by continuing to supply Iranian arms to Hezbullah while the war rages. Israel risks relatively little in such a move.

Militarily Syria is no match for Israel. The IDF would probably have an easier time fighting a regular army with state of the art 1990s equipment, than an irregular guerrilla force like Hezbullah. All Syria could do is launch missiles at Tel Aviv. It is precisely against such long range missiles that the Patriot and Arrow systems are most effective. Under the kind of constant aerial offensive the IAF could carry out, Syria may be able to launch 100 missiles.

<snip>

As soon as Israel started dealing with Syria, Damascus would run to Iran to come to its defense, as it committed to doing under the mutual defense pact the two countries have signed. Iran’s military capabilities are no match for Israel’s. Its air, ground and sea forces are all technologically inferior to Israel’s, and its access to Syria is blocked by the US forces in Iraq, which could eliminate the Iranian military, including the 175,000 Pasderan (Revolutionary Guards), the regime’s SS, loyal not to the country but solely to the Islamic regime.

/more if you can stomach it...

Edited to correct punctuation and to add: :eyes:

[mom cat]

7. Oh my God!

Why do they hate us?

[mom cat]

8. The authors dismissal of damages that wold come to Israel if they

were in an armed conflict with Syria and Iran:

"While Israel would undoubtedly suffer both civilian casualties and economic damage, these would not be that much more than what we are already experiencing. We have already irreversibly lost an entire tourist season."

:puke:

and of course the flowers and chocolates delusion:

"Fascist regimes cannot easily afford to show that kind of weakness. If they choose to come to Syria’s aid by launching missiles at Israel, the US and Israel would have the justification they need to attack Iran, and destroy its military capabilities, economy and nuclear program until either the regime surrenders, or an angry populace fed up with the Islamo- fascist regime that has misruled the country for so long, oppressing and impoverishing the population, rises up in anger. "


And of course the prediction that the losses to Israel will be minimal:


"The end result would be moderate economic damage, and perhaps 100 civilian casualties. It may sound cold blooded, but we can afford such casualties, which would be less than what we sustained in any of our wars (for the record, in 1948 we lost 6,000, 1% of the entire population, and in 1967 and 1973 we lost respectively 1,000 and 3,000 casualties).

The gains, however, would be enormous. First and foremost, the elimination of the Iran nuclear threat, which is the most dangerous existential threat Israel has faced since 1948. It would mark the first major reverse suffered by the ayatollahs, changing the momentum and probably the course of history, which until now has been in their favor."

[Miss Chybil]

9. So, they don't even try to hide it. nt