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The Building of a Nuclear Syria Meme
UPDATED below:
On August 31 the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by John Bolton on the negotiations about nuclear disarmament with North Korea. At the end, quite out of nowhere, he inserts this paragraph:
Finally, we need to learn the details of North Korean nuclear cooperation with other countries. We know that both Iran and Syria have long cooperated with North Korea on ballistic missile programs, and the prospect of cooperation on nuclear matters is not far-fetched. Whether and to what extent Iran, Syria or others might be "safe havens" for North Korea’s nuclear weapons development, or may have already participated with or benefited from it, must be made clear.
Bolton is usually more assertive with WMD claims. Here he seems to be unsure about a nuclear connection between North Korea and Syria. But the meme is out.
It gets picked up, enforced and recycled. The New York Times writes today:
One
Bush administration official said Israel had recently carried out
reconnaissance flights over Syria, taking pictures of possible nuclear
installations that Israeli officials believed might have been supplied
with material from North Korea. The administration official said
Israeli officials believed that North Korea might be unloading some of
its nuclear material on Syria.
“The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what
little they have left,” the official said. He said it was unclear
whether the Israeli strike had produced any evidence that might
validate that belief.
The Israeli papers Haaretz and YnetNews (Yedioth Ahronoth) are quoting from the NYT.
Syria has a small civil nuclear research program build with the help of the IAEA and several ‘western’ states. The U.S. based Nuclear Threat Initiative has some details on these programs. There are no known connections to North Korea but Syria’s open purchase of some SCUD missile clones.
There are rumors distributed by Syrian ex-pats about a secret Syrian nuclear weapon program:
Sources close to RPS have disclosed that Syria is involved in military nuclear research not too far from Deir el-Hajjar, a tourist area in Syria. Deir el-Hajjar is also known for agricultural research, which is intended to hide the real purpose of nuclear research.
Deir el-Hajjar seems to be a site near Damascus (Google Maps) that doesn’t show anything suspicious. It’s the place to go when you want to know about Feeding ensiled poultry excreta to ruminant animals (yuck). It is far away from north eastern Syria which was the alleged target area of Israel’s air attacks last week.
RPS is the Reform Party of Syria which is a:
US-based Syrian opposition party to the Assad regime that has emerged as a result of September 11.
The party is governed by secular, peace committed American-Syrians, Euro-Syrians, and native Syrians who are determined to see that a "New Syria" is reborn that embraces real democratic and economic reforms.
Founder of that party is Farid N. Ghadry, "Syria’s version of Ahmad Chalabi" and an AIPAC member.
So we have a neocon Syrian ex-pat (Ghadry left Syria at the age of 8!) who for quite some time is pandering about a secret Syrian nuclear program. We have neocon John Bolton suggesting that Syria might purchase some nuclear stuff from North Korea and we have one anonymous administration official (Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams?) that rumors about something Israeli officials are said to believe.
That’s not much and the connections between these people are obvious. But now the meme is out there and we can be sure some will build on it until we are to believe in another possible mushroom cloud.
UPDATE: See comment 15 and 16 on how the meme has now spread to the Washington Post and from there is echo chambered again by the Israeli press.
And here comes, predictable, the echo chamber:
Haaretz: Report: U.S. suspects Syria may be building nuclear facility
A week after Syria claimed Israeli aircraft violated its airspace and dropped munitions within its territory, a U.S. official was quoted on Thursday as saying Damascus may be building a nuclear facility with North Korean assistance.
According to a Washington Post report, a U.S. official talking on condition of anonymity said recent satellite images gathered over the past six months mostly by Israeli sources indicate Syria may be building such a facility.
Access to the information has been heavily restricted to a team headed by security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, leaving many in the intelligence community unaware of the reports’ significance, the U.S. newspaper quoted sources as saying.
…
Jerusalem Post: Report: N. Korea, Syria may be at work on nuclear facility
Adding another piece to the puzzle surrounding Israel’s alleged air raid on a Syrian target last week, the Washington Post reported Thursday that North Korea may be cooperating with the Syrians on some sort of nuclear facility in their country.
The Washington Post report is based on new intelligence the United States has gathered over the past six months, the bulk allegedly from Israel, which includes dramatic satellite imagery that has led some US officials to believe the facility could be used to produce material for nuclear weapons.
The new information, particularly images received in the past 30 days, has been restricted to just a few senior officials under the instructions of national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, leaving many in the intelligence community unaware of it or uncertain of its significance, sources told the Washington Post on condition of anonymity.
…
YnetNews: Report: Syria, N. Korea building nuclear site together
Washington Post reports recent US gathered intelligence points to possible cooperation between Syria, N. Korea on nuclear facility. Israeli satellite images strengthen claims, but many US officials uncertain of significance
Intelligence gathered by the United States over the past six months points to a possible cooperation between North Korea and Syria on building a nuclear facility on Syrian land, according to a report published by the Washington Post Thursday.
The report said the evidence for the claim came primarily from Israel, including satellite images that led US officials to believe the facility could be used to produce material for nuclear weapons.
The new information, in particular images received by the US over the past month, has only been shared with a few senior officials, as was instructed by national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley.
Despite reports, the Washington Post said many in the intelligence community were unaware of the images, or uncertain of their significance. Intelligence sources emphasized that preliminary reports on suspicious activity are often reassessed over time and found to be inaccurate.
According to the Washington Post, some security sources expressed doubt over the possibility that Syrian was cooperating with North Korea on a nuclear site, despite the fact that the two countries have previously cooperated on the manufacture of technological missiles.
According to a New York Times report published Wednesday, a US official said that recent Israeli reconnaissance flights over Syria revealed possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials estimate might have been supplied with material from North Korea.
…
YnetNews adds yesterday’s piece: Report: Israel spots nuclear installations in Syria
Washington official says Israeli surveillance shows possible Syrian nuclear installation stocked by North Korea, Israeli Arab newspaper claims target of alleged raid last week was Syrian missile base financed by Iran
Israel believes that North Korea has been supplying Syria and Iran with nuclear materials, a Washington defense official told the New York Times. “The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what little they have left,” he said.
The official added that recent Israeli reconnaissance flights over Syria revealed possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials estimate might have been supplied with material from North Korea.
…
Posted by: b | Sep 13 2007 10:15 utc | 16
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