Vodkapundit

Whoa

Posted by Stephen Green · 1 March 2005

Unlinked release from Time magazine:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, March 1, 2005
SYRIAN ARMY TO WITHDRAW FROM LEBANON
WITHIN ‘NEXT FEW MONTHS,’ SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR ASSAD TELLS TIME

New York – Syria’s President Bashar Assad, talks with TIME Columnist Joe Klein about his plans to withdraw the Syrian army from Lebanon in a matter of months in a story posted today on TIME.com. An outtake from TIME’s interview is below as well as a link to the story on TIME.com.

TIME: Can you tell me when you will you be out of Lebanon?

ASSAD: Out completely?

TIME: Yes.

ASSAD: Actually, our discussion should be with Terji Roed-Larsen, United Nations envoy, who is coming back in March. It [withdrawal] should be very soon and maybe in the next few months. Not after that. I can't give you a technical answer. The point is the next few months.

TIME: Could you give me a timetable?

ASSAD: It's a technical issue, not political. I could not say we could do it in two months because I have not had the meeting with the army people. They may say it will take six months. You need to prepare when you bring your army back to your country. You need to prepare where you will put the troops.

There are two factors. The first is security in Lebanon. The security in Lebanon is much better than before. They have an army, they have a state, they have institutions. The second thing, which is related to Syria, is that after withdrawing we have to protect our border. We need to talk about our borders, because when Israel invaded in 1982, they reached that point. It was very close to Damascus. So we will need [fortifications for the troops] along the border with Lebanon.

Just... whoa.

UPDATE: Link here.

Comments

and mr. assad continued "yes, and like libya's decision to give up its wmd programs this plan has absolutely nothing to do with the us' actions in iraq. nothing, do you hear?!?"

heh.

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at March 1, 2005 12:23 PM

Reached for comment between windsurfing and drinks at his wife's club, John Kerry said that clearly this was the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time. He also supports are troops, even though they most likely are committing war crimes.

Posted by: Pursuit at March 1, 2005 12:38 PM

RE: "So we will need [fortifications for the troops] along the border with Lebanon."
Patton: "Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man."

Posted by: anonymous at March 1, 2005 12:59 PM

Have to admit, the Lebanese flag looks darn good in mass-protest photographs. Let's hope we see more of it!

And you can't help but snicker at Assad as he discusses building the Syrian Maginot Line against the democratic(izing) Lebanon and Israel.

YOU started the war, ya frickin idiot...geez... If you don't want Israeli troops busting down your door, don't invade then lose the war. I guess it's tough to give an interview while you're soiling your pants though.

Posted by: Mike M at March 1, 2005 01:14 PM

I wish I could get excited, but I fear he only means to pull back visible troops, not things like ununiformed security forces and other cat's paws like Hezbolla [Death to Hezbolla!].

Posted by: Another Scott at March 1, 2005 01:41 PM

The Syrian Baathists, without oil to keep them in dough like their Iraqi co-party, have no source of wealth without control of Lebanon, and no superpower sponsor such as the Soviet Union. They will not go without a fight, unless some sort of deal has been cut to allow the top tier to live a life of luxury in exile. Even then, the lower tier Baathists will fight like cornered rats.

Posted by: Will Allen at March 1, 2005 02:41 PM

One more victory in the War on Terror.

Posted by: Rod Stanton at March 1, 2005 03:26 PM

It's not over by a long shot... but we've seen more progress towards reform and democracy in the middle east in the last 4 years than happened in the 40 years prior to that.

It's long past time the lefties started seriously considering if this Bush guy might not be as bad as they think.

Posted by: rosignol at March 1, 2005 05:32 PM

"Actually, our discussion should be with Terji Roed-Larsen, United Nations envoy, who is coming back in March."

Turd Larsen is the guy who was on the spot when Hezbollah guerillas kidnapped Israeli soldiers on the Lebanon border. His UN blue helmets looked the other way. A surveillance camera caught the action, but for months Larsen would not release the video to the Israelis. Finally he released it, but with the faces of the kidnappers erased.

He's obviously in Assad's pocket.

Posted by: Yehudit at March 1, 2005 11:26 PM

WTF?! He just gave a straight answer! This guy is an even worse politician than I imagined.

I wonder how this all would have worked out if his brother knew how to drive...

Posted by: Nick Bourbaki at March 2, 2005 08:26 AM

Damn that smirking Bushitler and his foreign oil-driven adventures, damn him to hell.

Posted by: Ian Wood at March 2, 2005 09:19 AM