Home      |      Weblog      |      Articles      |      Satire      |      Links      |      About      |      Contact


Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > Obama Allows Export Of Once Restricted Technologies To Terrorist Syria

Obama Allows Export Of Once Restricted Technologies To Terrorist Syria

July 29, 2009

Obama Allows Export Of Once Restricted Technologies To Terrorist Syria

By WILLIAM MAYER and BEILA RABINOWITZ

July 29, 2009 - San Francisco, CA - PipeLineNews.org - Syria, a long-time terror enabler, operates as a client state of Iran. In 2004 it was determined to have promulgated a series of attacks against its neighbor Lebanon with the intent of destabilizing it.

"...involved in planning, sponsoring, organizing, or perpetrating the terrorist act in Beirut, Lebanon, on February 14, 2005, that resulted in the assassination of former Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafiq Hariri, and the deaths of 22 others, and other bombings or assassination attempts in Lebanon since October 1, 2004, that are related to Hariri's assassination or that implicate the Government of Syria..." [source, U.S. Treasury Dept., http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/syria/syria.pdf]

As a result, Executive Order 13338 was issued [May 12, 2004] preventing the exportation from the U.S., of technologies, products or services deemed beneficial to Syria's continued terrorist activities.

"I hereby determine that the actions of the Government of Syria in supporting terrorism, continuing its occupation of Lebanon, pursuing weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, and undermining United States and international efforts with respect to the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States and hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat. To address that threat, and to implement the SAA, I hereby order the following: [source, U.S. Treasury, http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/legal/eo/13338.pdf]

Now, absent any resolution of the issues which led to the export ban, the Obama administration has lifted the sanctions, once again allowing the flow of previously restricted technologies, aircraft parts and other items to Syria.

The good news was delivered to Syrian dictator Basher al-Assad by team Obama's Mideast specialist George Mitchell.

This development poses a great threat to the ability of the United States to positively affect the prospect of peace in the Middle East because it allows the Syrian government to escape culpability in the murder of Hariri, its continued meddling in Lebanon and perhaps most importantly, responsibility over its decision to continue to serve as an agent of Iran and support Palestinian terrorist groups such as Hezbollah.

Of additional significance, the State Dept. website continues to list Syria as an agent of state terrorism, "Syria has been on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism since the list's inception in 1979." [source, U.S. State Dept., http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3580.htm]

This administration wishes to live simultaneously in two worlds, one of these is an imaginary place in which Obama's sheer force of personality is supposed to convince long-time, implacable foes to see the error of their ways and join us; the second is a sober world in which it is the primary responsibility of the president to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution."

It is within the realm of make believe that Obama is most comfortable, however in the real world, where his administration's bungling foreign policy initiatives collide daily with reality, team Obama's amateurish idealism will if left unchecked, serve as a constant source of peril.

http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=syria7.29.09%2Ehtm

Printer-friendly version   Email this item to a friend