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# 악마의 자식들과 맞선 미국



아랍것들이 미국인의 목을 잘라서 죽이는 끔찍한 영상이 5월12일 인터넷에 공개되었다. 이 미국인의 이름은 니콜라스 버그(Nicholas Berg)이며 유태인이다.



동영상에는 버그가 유태인이기 때문에 아랍것들에게 납치 살해된 것인지는 나오지 않고 있으나 이라크에서 납치 살해 제1표적은 미국인/유태인이라고 한다.



2002년 파키스탄에서 이슬람 무장단체에 의해 유태인이라 말하라고 강요받고 목이 잘려나간 다니엘 펄(Daniel Pearl) 월스트리트 저널(Wall Street Journal) 기자도 유태인이었다.



2004년5월11일 이스라엘의 아자(Aza, Gaza) 지역에서는, 팔레스타인 아랍것들이 박격포와 로켓포를 제조하기 위해 이용하는 건물에 대한 폭파 임무를 수행하던 이스라엘 군인들이 타고 있던 장갑차(Armored Personnel Carrier)가 테러리스트에 의해 설치된 對전차 지뢰로 파괴되어서 이스라엘 군인 6명이 사망했다.



팔레스타인 아랍것들은 이 이스라엘 군인들의 시체를 들고 길거리를 미친듯이 행진했다. 이스라엘 군인의 목을 잘라서 들고 다니는 모습도 아랍 위성방송을 통해서 보도되었다. 팔레스타인 아랍것들은 이스라엘 군인들의 시체와 이스라엘 감옥에 있는 팔레스타인 아랍것들의 포로와 바꾸자고 하고 있다.



핵무기를 가지고 대한민국을 포로로 만들고 있는 북조선은, 이스라엘의 적이며 테러를 지원하는 이란·시리아와 동맹관계를 유지하고 있다. 부시 대통령은 5월11일[워싱턴 시간] 시리아에 대해 수출중단.항공운항제한.자산동결이라는 제재를 발동했다. WMD 개발을 위한 북조선-시리아 커넥션이 계속 유지되면 시리아에 대한 군사 공격도 불가피하다.



유태인만 보면 목을 잘라죽이는 아랍것들은 이스라엘의 파괴 내지 제2의 9.11 동시테러를 하기 위해 북조선의 핵무기를 어떻게든 손에 넣으려고 할 것이 틀림없다. 이것을 차단하기 위해서 미국은 중국을 압박했고, 중국은 김정일에게 핵폐기를 하고 개방정책을 취하도록 제안했지만 김정일은 핵 완전폐기는 없다고 버티고 있다.



북조선의 핵무기가 '민족의 무기' 라면서 안보의식이 마비되어버린 대한민국과 달리 미국과 이스라엘은 확실히 김정일 제거에 나설 것이다. 대한민국의 어용방송 언론들은 부시 대통령이 재선에 실패할 것이라고 여론조사 결과를 보도해대면서 기뻐할 지도 모르겠지만 美 민주당 케리 후보가 당선되면 유태인들이 대거 각료로 전면에 나서게 되며 '임박한 위협'인 북조선을 가만히 내버려 두지는 않을 것이다. 클린턴 대통령때 北爆 계획을 떠올려 보시라.









BEHIND THE HEADLINES



Videotaped execution of U.S. Jew may not shake commitment in

Iraq



By Joe Berkofsky



NEW YORK, May 11 (JTA) - The videotaped execution of an

American Jewish civilian contractor in Iraq shook members of

the Jewish community, but not their commitment to the war on

terrorism.



A video that surfaced on the Internet on Tuesday showed the

decapitation by masked Iraqis of Nicholas Berg, 26, of West

Chester, Pa. The grisly scene echoed the 2002 murder in

Pakistan of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who

was forced to admit his Jewishness on tape just before his

captors cut off his head.



It wasn't clear whether Berg was targeted because of his

religion. In the video, posted on a Web site linked to Al-

Qaida, Berg is seen saying, "My name is Nick Berg, my

father's name is Michael, my mother's name is Susan . . . I

have a brother and sister, David and Sarah."



Several Jewish leaders and military families said the

incident shouldn't dissuade Jewish soldiers and civilians

from serving in Iraq.



"Should people think twice or should we continue this?"

asked Judy Ledger, whose son and daughter - and their

spouses - all served with the U.S. military in Iraq. "You do

have to realize there's a danger, but the danger is no more

if you're in the military than if there is a hate crime in

the United States."



Several sources said Berg's murder - as well as Tuesday's

videotaped killing of six Israeli soldiers by Palestinians

in the Gaza Strip - should deepen the commitment of Jews and

other Americans to the war on terrorism.



"This is an evil force that has no moral compunction at

all," said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the

Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish

Organizations.



Referring to the video showing an Iraqi holding Berg's

severed head aloft and shouting, "Allahu akbar," or "God is

great" - and footage of Palestinian militants proudly

displaying an Israeli soldier's head and other body parts -

Hoenlein said the two cases point to the same enemy.



"Their barbarism could not be more clear after today. On

both fronts it's the same menace," he said.



Joseph Kashnow agrees. An Army Cavalry scout stationed in

Baghdad, Kashnow's right leg was nearly blown off by a

homemade land mine last September. He has spent months

undergoing operations and therapy - yet he says he's as sure

as ever that the war is just.



As an American Jewish soldier in Baghdad, Kashnow knew

better than to pursue one particular conversation with a

local man.



"He said, 'Saddam wasn't so bad, at least he wasn't

Jewish,'" recalled Kashnow, 25. "Not a person I wanted to

continue having a chat with."



It's not clear whether Berg's Jewish background played a

role in his fate. On the video, Berg's captors said the

killing was to avenge the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by

American soldiers.



"It's certainly possible there are people" in Iraq "who

would feel it was a 'two-mints-in-one' to get an American

and a Jew," Kashnow said.



Regardless, Berg "was still an innocent civilian who was

slaughtered, whether he was Jewish, black, or Asian,"

Kashnow said. "He was fighting to rebuild the country and

make it safe for freedom. It's still a tragedy."



Shoshana Bryen, director of special projects for the

Washington-based Jewish Institute for National Security

Affairs, said it makes sense that Jews would be targeted in

Iraq.



"There are people in these countries who are looking to kill

people who are members of certain groups," Bryen said. "The

two at the top of the list are Americans and Jews."



The parents of Daniel Pearl, who immigrated to Los Angeles

in the 1960s from Israel, prepared a statement for the media

after news of Berg's killing circulated Tuesday.



"We have heard from the news about the videotape showing the

tragic death of Nicholas Berg in Iraq. Our thoughts and

prayers are with his family and friends at this extremely

difficult time," the statement said.



"Our heart goes out to them. Kidnapping, torture,

humiliation and murder must have no place in this world,"

the statement went on. "We call on people of principle

around the world to help stop the madness and take a stand

for humanity."



Ironically, Berg's father, Michael, and his small business,

Prometheus Methods Tower Service Inc., were listed as

endorsers of a coalition called Act Now to Stop War and End

Racism. The coalition opposed the Iraq war, though Nicholas

Berg reportedly supported it.



Berg was in Iraq as a freelance contractor working to repair

communications antennae, The Associated Press reported. His

family members said they had known of their son's death

since the weekend but did not know of the video until it

surfaced this week.



The family last heard from Berg on April 9, as he was

preparing to return to the United States via Jordan. U.S.

officials recovered Berg's remains May 8.



The Bush administration and others voiced outrage at Berg's

killing and vowed to pursue his killers. Sen. John Kerry (D-

Mass.), the presumptive Democratic nominee for president,

said Berg's killers "will not prevail."



Berg's friends and neighbors were devastated to learn of his

fate. Reached by phone, Berg's parents declined to comment

on their son's death.



The circumstances of his capture are unknown.



"Nick was probably one of the most amazing men I've ever

met," said Aaron Spool, a friend of Berg's since they were

in the seventh grade. "He just touched everyone's life. West

Chester is going to be a much emptier place without him. He

was good man, a good Jew. It's tough. It's very hard."



Glenn Brown, a friend of the Spool family who occasional

would have Shabbat meals with Berg in West Chester, recalled

the young man as being "a sincere individual."



He said, "It is a huge tragedy and loss. He seemed hard-

working and industrious."



Burt Siegel, director of the Jewish Community Relations

Council of the Philadelphia Jewish federation, said, "It is

absolutely sickening that this man was singled out for being

an American."



"Obviously, you don't have to be a Jew for these people to

murder you."



(JTA Washington bureau chief Ron Kampeas, JTA staff writer

Matthew E. Berger in Washington and the Philadelphia Jewish

Exponent contributed to this report.)



http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=Will+killing+shake+Jews%26acute%3B+faith%3F&intcategoryid=5











JPOST May. 12, 2004 9:50



Six soldiers killed in Gaza mine blast



By MARGOT DUDKEVITCH



Israeli forces resumed their search early Wednesday for the

remains of their fallen comrades in the streets of the

Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.



The infantry forces, searching house-to-house, are

accompanied by armor and helicopters. During Tuesday night,

military intelligence and the Shin Bet worked feverishly to

locate those in possession of the body parts of six IDF

soldiers.



The six soldiers of the Givati Brigade's engineering unit

were killed instantly Tuesday morning, when terrorists

detonated a large mine underneath their armored personnel

carrier, setting off some 100 kilograms being carried

inside.



The explosives were left over from an operation to demolish

metal workshops used by terrorists to manufacture Kassam

rockets and mortar shells in the Zeitun neighborhood of Gaza

City.



The names of the six soldiers killed are: Sgt.-Maj. Edron

Amar, 20, of Eilat; Sgt. Eitan Newman, 21, of Ramot in

Jerusalem; Aviad Deri, 21, of Ma'aleh Adumim, Kobi Mizrahi,

20, of Moshav Matta, St.-Sgt. Ofer Gerbi, 20, of Moshav Ben

Zakai, and Jacob Marvizi, from Kibbutz Geva.



Hamas and Islamic Jihad both claimed responsibility for the

attack and announced they are holding body parts of the dead

soldiers, which were scattered hundreds of meters from the

scene of the attack by the force of the blast. Officials

from the terrorist organizations demanded to enter

negotiations with Israel to exchange the body parts for

Palestinian security prisoners incarcerated in Israel.



Israeli security officials said there are no plans to

negotiate with the terrorists in order to retrieve the dead

soldiers' remains, but have requested assistance from the

International Committee of the Red Cross.



A spokesman for the ICRC confirmed that the request had been

filed. "We contacted our office in Gaza, who are in touch

with Palestinian organizations on the ground. We are not

talking about negotiations, but a request from Israel that

has been passed on. Their response will be handed over

exclusively and covertly to Israel," he said.



Shortly after the attack Arab television stations al-Manar,

al-Jazeera, al-Arabia, and Abu Dhabi, as well as foreign

networks, broadcast footage of masked, armed Hamas and

Islamic Jihad terrorists parading the streets of Gaza

displaying body parts of the dead soldiers, their weapons,

and pieces of the wrecked APC. Al-Jazeera showed Islamic

Jihad members holding up the head of one of the soldiers.

Israel Television Channel 1, rebroadcasting the footage,

electronically obscured the head.



Throughout the day, under barrages of Palestinian gunfire,

troops continued operating in the Gaza neighborhood

searching for body parts and remnants of the APC.



"Soldiers are deployed in the area and are conducting house-

to-house searches. We are climbing onto every rooftop and

every balcony to find the remains of our soldiers and the

APC. We will continue the mission until the remains are

returned for burial in Israel," OC Southern Command Maj.-

Gen. Dan Harel told reporters at Nahal Oz.



"When the operation is completed we will leave. When,

depends on an assessment of the situation in the area where

soldiers are currently operating," he said.



As to the televised footage of terrorists holding the

remains of the dead soldiers, Harel said: "I also viewed

some of the footage and I must admit that it made me sick.

It is hard to believe that humans are able to sink to such

depths. I think it shows the difference between us, we who

hold human life sacred and will go to any end to return our

soldiers for burial, and those Palestinians who parade

before the television cameras."



Immediately after the explosion, soldiers isolated the area

and began searching for the remains of their comrades as

additional forces, including tanks, armored personnel

carriers, and bulldozers were dispatched to the area and air

force helicopters hovered overhead to give support. From

time to time missiles were fired at groups of armed

Palestinians attempting to reach the site and fire at the

troops.



During the morning the IDF divided the Gaza Strip into three

parts, preventing Palestinians from traveling between the

southern and northern areas, and also shut down the Karni

terminal.



Palestinians reported seven killed and over 70 wounded, whom

Harel said were all armed terrorists. In the afternoon, one

Palestinian was killed and four were wounded when an air

force helicopter fired missiles into a car spotted not far

from the Zeitun neighborhood, where soldiers continued to

operate.



The IDF denied Palestinian reports claiming the missile

attack was a targeted killing and stressed that from time to

time missiles were fired at groups of Palestinians seeking

to attack soldiers.



The operation that began on Monday night was to rout out and

destroy metal workshops used by terrorist organizations to

make Kassam rockets and mortar shells. Harel declared that

the operation was planned some weeks ago and that the reason

ground forces were deployed rather then air power was due to

the fact that the terrorists conduct their operations deep

inside heavily populated civilian areas.



"The reality of operating in Gaza is a complex issue, as

terrorists operate within the civilian population and places

where they manufacture the weapons are also located there,

and we must hit the terrorists and pursue them and their

resources and at the same time minimize harming the civilian

population.



"We have operated in such a fashion for over three and a

half years and will continue to do so, as we must reach the

sites where the weapons and Kassam rockets are being

manufactured in order to distance the threat of rocket

attacks on Israeli communities in the Gaza Strip and in

Israel. Today, several rockets were fired not far from

here."



Harel noted that at the beginning of the operation, six

bombs were detonated near security forces and a soldier was

lightly wounded. The mine attack on the APC occurred as

soldiers were preparing to leave the area after having

attained the goals of the mission, in which two factories

containing 25 metal workshops where the rockets were made

were destroyed, Harel said.



Harel noted that over the past two months there have been

numerous attempts by terrorists to attack soldiers and

Israeli civilians. "In Gaza, it is a daily battle against

terrorists, who in the past two months have attempted

hundreds of attacks, scores of rocket, mortar, anti-tank

missile, and shooting attacks, and in that framework we

sometimes fail in our mission, as we did last week with the

murder of Tali Hatuel and her four daughters."



Palestinians identified four of their dead as Amar al-

Jerjawe, 30, Fadi Nasar, 15, Muhammad Addass, 18, and Ahmed

Salem al-Swerki, 17.



http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1084251772855









# 미국은 김정일을 언제 제거할 것인가?



미국 현지에 거주하면서 조선일보 칼럼을 쓰고 있는 김대중 이사기자는 미국이 '이라크'라는 수렁에 빠져 11월 대선 이전에는 북한을 군사적으로 응징할 여력이 없다고 단언했다. 그는 또 많은 미국 사람들을 만나고 있는데 그들 중 누구도 그런 예측을 하는 사람이 없었다고 했다.



그러나 필자의 생각은 좀 다르다. 이제는 중국도 김정일이 중국의 이익에 해로운 존재라는 것을 깊이 깨닫고 있다. 북한이 핵무기를 가지면 일본과 대만이 핵무기를 갖게 된다. 미국의 입장에서 보면 북한은 미국의 적이지만 일본과 대만은 미국의 친구들이다. 적에게는 핵무기 보유를 인정해주고, 가까운 친구들에게는 핵무기를 보유하지 말라고 할 수는 없는 일이다. 일본과 대만이 핵무기를 갖게 되면 이는 중국에 악몽이다. 대만 통일은 물 건너가게 되고, 역사적 상전이었던 일본에 대한 열등감이 되살아나게 될 것이다.



핵무기에 못지않게 북한의 인권실태 역시 세계적인 이슈가 되고 있다. 김정일을 미워하는 사람들이 점점 늘어날 것이다. 중군은 북한에 대한 유일한 후원자다. 김정일이 미운 만큼 중국도 미움을 받는다. 앞으로 핵무기와 북한 인권은 세계적인 이슈로 점점 더 확대될 수밖에 없다. 그렇다면 2008년의 베이징 올림픽도 영향을 받게 될 것이다. 중국 경제는 아직도 미국이 영향력 범위에 있다. 미국-영국-일본은 지금 가장 가까운 친구들이다. 중국은 북한 때문에 이들과 반목할 필요가 없으며, 모든 국가적 이익을 버리면서까지 외톨이 깡패를 비호할 이유가 없다.



북한에 대한 정보는 미국이 독점한 상태다. 미국은 북한의 핵무기 보유수를 1-2개에서 8개로 대폭 올렸다. 8개의 핵무기는 미국에 직-간접적으로 위협이 된다. 여기에 북한은 이스라엘의 적대국가들과 알카에다에 테러 기술과 물자를 제공하고 있는 것으로 드러나 있다. 이번 용천 사고 역시 이와 무관치 않다. 사망자 중에는 시리아 사람과 북한 기술자가 발견됐다고 한다. 그 화물 열차는 시리아에 악성 물자를 운반중인 것으로 알려져 있다. 이처럼 시간이 가면 갈수록 북한은 미국과 이스라엘에 엄청난 해악을 끼칠 수 있다. 이스라엘은 미국 상류의 여론에 막강한 영향력을 가지고 있다. 그래서 미국은 그 긴박감을 시간이 없다는 말로 완곡하게 표현해 왔다.



용천 사고로 인해 북한의 인권 문제가 미국 사회에 증폭돼 가고 있다. 시간이 가면 갈수록 북한의 생명들이 죽어갈 것이다. 지각없는 일부 미국병사들은 이라크에서 반인륜적인 사고를 저지를 수 있지만 미국과 세계를 움직이는 미국의 인물들은 북한의 인권에 대해 매우 조급해하고 있다. 핵문제도 시간 내에 풀어야 할 시험문제이지만, 인권 문제 역시 시간 내에 풀어야 할 시험문제다.



이런 시급한 문제를 대선 때문에 눌러놓는다는 것은 선거의 자살행위로 보인다. 미국이 정한 3개의 악의 축 가운데 이제 단 하나 남은 것은 북한이다. 후세인을 잡아 놓고 있는 이 시점에서, 만일 선거 이전에 김정일을 퇴진시키고, 빈라덴을 잡으면 부시는 그야말로 일대 영웅이 될 것이다. 세계를 위해서나 미국을 위해서나 부시 개인을 위해 이처럼 목표가 합치(goal congruence)하는 매력적인 과제가 어디에 또 있을까?



2003. 3. 17일, 미국 부시 대통령이 이라크 후세인에게 48시간 안에 이라크를 떠나지 않으면 군사적 공격을 받을 것이라는 최후통첩을 보냈다. 그리고 정확히 48시간이 지난 시각에 부시는 공격명령을 내렸다. 하지만 북한에 대해서는 다르다. 들리는 말에 의하면 6월말까지가 시한이라 한다. 북한을 공격할 때에는 이라크를 공격할 때와 판이하게 다르다. 사전 경고 절차 없이 밤중의 도둑처럼 북한으로 들어갈 것이다.



간단한 전자전에 의해 인민군의 통신과 레이더는 마비되고 모든 지휘체계가 초장에 마비될 것이다. 전방에 있는 부대들은 공격명령을 받을 틈 없이 각기 외톨이가 될 것이다. 통신이란 이렇게 중요한 것이다. 사전 임무를 가지고 있던 병력들이 땅굴로 쏟아져 나온다 해도 그 때에는 이미 평양의 철봉각은 조용히 숨져 있을 것이다.



전광석화 같은 미국의 공격에 북의 핵무기 등은 아직은 종이무기에 불과하다. 통상의 국민에겐 미국의 공격준비선(LD: Line of Departure)이 눈에 보이지 않겠지만 전문가들의 눈에는 공격준비선 상에 움직이는 공격준비 사항들이 뚜렷이 보인다. “미국의 그 누구도 이런 전망을 내놓지 않고 있다”는 말은 그야말로 순진한 생각이다. 특급 중의 특급 계획을 한국의 기자에게 말해줄 미국인은 아무도 없으며, 그런 초특급 비밀을 미국의 여러 인사들에게 암시하는 정부라면 그런 정부는 더 이상 미국정부가 아니다. 말을 듣지 말고 시스템을 읽으라는 교훈은 언제나 유효하다.



2004. 4. 12



[시스템클럽 지만원 박사]









美, 對시리아 제재조치 단행



수출중단.항공운항제한.자산동결



연합뉴스 2004/05/12 08:00 송고



(워싱턴.다마스쿠스 AP.AFP=연합뉴스) 조지 부시 미국 대통령은 11일(현지시간) 시리아에 대해 식품과 의약품을 제외한 모든 물품의 수출 중단과 미국내 특정 시리아 자산의 동결 등 제재조치를 내렸다.



부시 대통령은 이날 대(對) 시리아 제재 집행 명령에 서명하면서 "시리아가 대량파괴무기를 추구하고 레바논 점령을 계속하는 것은 미국의 안보와 대외정책, 그리고 경제에 대한 현저한 위협"이라고 밝혔다.



대 시리아 제재조치에는 ▲테러리즘, 대량파괴무기, 레바논 점령, 이라크내 테러와 관련된 미국내 시리아 자산의 동결 ▲미국 은행과 시리아 국적은행간 거래 제한 ▲미국과 시리아간 항공운항 제한 등이 포함돼 있다.



미국의 시리아 제재는 시리아가 하마스와 헤즈블라 등 무장조직을 지원하고 게릴라들이 이라크 국경을 넘어서는 것을 막지 못하고 있다는 미국의 오랜 불만에 뒤이은 것이다.



미국과 시리아간 무역거래는 연 3억달러 규모다.



부시 대통령은 그러나 지난해말 서명한 `시리아 책임법'에 의해 취할 수 있는 미국 기업의 시리아내 영업중지 등 좀 더 과감한 제재조치는 취하지 않았다.



미 하원 국제관계위 중동 소위원회 일레나 로스 레티넨(공화.플로리다) 위원장은 "부시 대통령은 외교 채널을 통해 시리아가 하마스나 헤즈블라 같은 조직을 지원하지 말아야 한다는 강한 메시지를 보내왔으나 시리아는 이를 계속 무시했다"고 말했다.



이에 대해 모하마드 나지 오트리 시리아 총리는 "미국의 제재조치는 부당하고 정당화되지도 않을 것이며, 시리아에 미칠 영향도 없다"면서 제재조치 철회를 촉구했다.



앞서 미국은 지난달말 북한을 비롯해 쿠바, 이란, 이라크, 리비아, 수단, 시리아 등 7개국을 테러지원국으로 재지정했었다.









JPOST May. 12, 2004 9:43



US sanctions on Syria hit exports, airspace



By JANINE ZACHARIA



WASHINGTON



US President George W. Bush signed an executive order

Tuesday imposing fresh sanctions on Syria after months of

deliberation by the administration.



The sanctions imposed include a ban on export of military

and dual-use items to Syria, except as needed for national

security and intelligence reasons; a general ban on US

exports other than food and medicine; and a ban on Syrian

aircraft taking off or landing in the US.



The president intends to waive the sanctions in "certain

cases." The White House also announced that it will

authorize the Treasury Department to freeze the assets of

certain Syrian nationals and entities.



Sources said the administration will target Syrians involved

in terrorism, the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction,

the occupation of Lebanon, and terrorist activities in Iraq.

The US will also restrict contacts between US banks and

Syrian banks.



"With the implementation of these sanctions, the president

has demonstrated US resolve to address the Syrian

government's support for terrorist groups, its continue

military presence in Lebanon, its pursuit of weapons of mass

destruction, and its actions to undermine US and

international efforts with respect to the stabilization and

reconstruction of Iraq," the White House said.



"Implementation of sanctions comes after many months of

diplomatic efforts to convince the Syrian government to

change its unacceptable behavior," the statement added.



The White House also said Bush would consider additional

sanctions against Syria unless it takes "serious and

concrete steps to" abandon its support for terrorist groups,

terminate its WMD program, withdraw its troops from Lebanon,

and cooperate in promoting stability in Iraq.



The White House statement included a catalogue of poor

Syrian behavior. While it said that Syria had "taken steps

to close its shared border with Iraq," it noted that "Syria

nevertheless remains a preferred transit point for foreign

fighters into Iraq."



"In addition, Syria has failed to transfer the approximately

$200 million in frozen Iraqi assets that remain in Syrian

banks" to an Iraqi reconstruction fund as mandated by the

UN.



The sanctions are to be reviewed in June, six months after

Bush signed the Syria Accountability and Lebanese

Sovereignty Restoration Act into law.



According to that law, the president was obligated to impose

the ban on the sale of dual-use items and then select at

least two additional sanctions from a menu of six. He chose

three. Three more that could be implemented in the future

are: restrictions on Syrian diplomats in the US, a scaling

down of diplomatic contacts and a ban on US businesses

operating in Syria.



But officials said the export ban already will cause US

firms operating in Syria, including energy companies like

Conoco Phillips, to begin pulling out since it would be

difficult to transfer equipment and other supplies into

Syria.



"The sanction about the businesses will hurt American

companies the most. We're talking about hundreds of millions

of dollars in investment. We're giving them a chance to cut

back on their investments and get out. They are put on

notice," the US official said.



Officials have for months been complaining about Syria's

failure to seal its border with Iraq and for its continued

support of terrorist groups. While the Pentagon lobbied hard

for the sanctions, the State Department was more reluctant

to impose them, hoping through dialogue to persuade Syria to

change some of its behavior.



"The president supported this," the US official said. "He

didn't just want to do the minimum on this. He's peeved

about Syria."



State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters

that Syria had not adequately responded to US urging to

change its policies that began over a year ago with a visit

by Secretary of State Colin Powell to Syria.



"In the springtime of last year, the secretary made very

clear that we were in a changed situation in the world, we

were in a changed situation in the region," Boucher said.



"Policies of supporting terrorism, developing weapons of

mass destruction, and destabilizing regions that were

looking for peace were not going to be successful, and that

we looked for Syria to understand the new situation and to

change some of the practices and policies that it had had,

specifically in terms of ending support for terrorist groups

and organizations; abandoning programs to develop weapons of

mass destruction; contributing to stabilization in Iraq;

withdrawing its troops from Lebanon; pursuing a real process

of support for the peace process, not only Israeli-

Palestinian, but also for opportunities of a comprehensive

peace - all those things.



"In some of those areas we saw some action. But it was... I

think we made clear all along that we didn't feel like there

was a serious and comprehensive response. We've never felt

that Syria has adapted itself to the new realities. And as a

consequence, we had said all along that our relationship

would suffer," Boucher added.



Rep. Eliot Engel (D-New York), a primary author of the

legislation, said: "Since I first drafted this bill almost

two years ago, Damascus's destabilizing behavior in the

Middle East has only become more destructive. Terrorists are

entering Iraq through Syria to kill American soldiers,

thousands of Syrian troops are still occupying Lebanon, the

Syrian arsenal of WMDs is expanding, and Hamas, Islamic

Jihad, and other terrorist groups continue to operate in

Damascus.



"It is my hope that by implementing the Syria Accountability

Act, the United States government is sending a loud and

clear message to the leaders of Syria that we will no longer

turn a blind eye to their transgressions."



Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida), a cosponsor of the

bill, said she was "very happy" the administration had

imposed the sanctions.



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