Move - Counter Move

In an attempt to assist Hizballah in rearming, Syria plans to deply troops along the Syria/Lebanon border.

On Friday, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan announced Friday that Syrian President Bashar Assad had assented to deploy a battalion to the Lebanese border in order to prevent arms smuggling.

Annan added that Assad had already asked Germany for help in training and equipping its forces for the mission, Israel Radio reported.

Last week, Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said in an interview that the international community would not tolerate Syrian arms shipments to Hizbullah or other violations of the UN resolution that ended a month of fighting between Israel and the Shi'ite organization.

'The Syrians must know that if weapons come from Syria or acts in violation of UN Resolution 1701 are committed, the international community will not stand by and watch,' D'Alema told RAI state radio.

Obviously the Italians are not easily fooled.

In a counter move the US is asking Germany to deploy along the the border between Syria and Lebanon.

The US is attempting to arrange for Germany to patrol the border between Syria and Lebanon to prevent arms smuggling.

No agreement on German patrols has yet been finalized between Washington and Berlin, as Germany is still waiting for Lebanon's reaction to the proposal, Israel Radio reported.

I think the Lebanese Cedar Revolution Government will probably respond favorably to this idea. A rearmed Hizballah is not in their interest. Did I mention that the Cedar Revolutionaries hate the Syrians for interference in Lebanese internal affairs? Thing like assasinations and arming Hizballah for instance.


Update: 10 Sept '06 0509z
The Captain
doesn't like Lebanese prospects.