Photos said to show Israeli strike site

U.S. security analysts say they believe they have satellite photos of the site in northeastern Syria which was the target of a Sept. 6 Israeli airstrike.

Both U.S. and international experts said the site is similar to that of a nuclear facility in North Korea. The photos depict a compound with a tall chamber that could possibly house a gas-graphite reactor.

Syria has consistently denied any rumors that it is developing nuclear technology, stating only that the site is an out-of-use military facility.

UN Agency investigates satellite photos of Syrian site

UN experts admitted to the AP that they received satellite photos of the Syrian military facility that was attacked on Sept. 6, and are investigating the photos for signs that it is a nuclear facility.

The Washington Post on Friday cited anonymous American officials as saying the site in Syria’s eastern desert near the Euphrates River had characteristics of a small but substantial nuclear reactor similar to North Korea’s facility.

Other news outlets report another theory. The Raw Story reported other American officials as indicating that the target was not a nuclear facility as Israel claims, but a stockpile of North Korean missiles.

Nuclear or not? Rumours swirl about Syrian site

Another week is gone, and rumors continue to swirl around the globe as to what, exactly, the Israelis hit in a Sept. 6 airstrike on Syrian soil. The Israelis maintain that it is a nuclear facility, and are reporting that Syria is now dismantling the site. The Syrian government continues to deny all accusations–with the Syrian ambassador to the U.S. reiterating the denials to an audience in Texas this week.

Meanwhile, a U.N. interpretor mistranslated the words of Bassam Darwish, a Syrian representative, seemingly confirming to the U.N. that the site was a nuclear project.  A flurry of damaging media reports emerged, heightening concerns around the region and the world that Syria has nuclear ambitions.

Soon after, it was revealed that the interpretor had been mistaken. The same interpretor will now face disciplinary action.

The mystery remains.

Syria Shuts Main Exit From War For Iraqis

Syria hosts the largest number of Iraqi refugees, but stringent new visa requirements have all but barred most Iraqis from fleeing the violence at home. The only Iraqi citizens that will be issued Syrian visas are those on official business or truck and taxi drivers. The New York Times reports.

This week in Syrian/Lebanese developments

Lebanon asked the UN to stop Syria from shipping illegal arms into Lebanon:

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hP1nzvAyhwFBGWaFNv2Bl7huxn7w

A UN tribunal of the 2005 assassination of Rafik Hariri could be in the works:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=85920

The son of a slain anti-Syrian leader calls to China and Russia to help prevent interference in Lebanese presidential election:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/09/news/UN-GEN-UN-Lebanon.php

North Korean official will visit Syria

A North Korean official is leaving for meetings with Syria and Italy, adding fuel to the fire in the international community that the two are partners in nuclear development inside Syria.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/13/asia/AS-GEN-NKorea-Syria.php

Syria won’t attend US Mid-East peace conference

Several leading US analysts think Syria should attend the Mid-East peace conference which will be held in Annapolis, Maryland in November:

http://www.prospectsforpeace.com/2007/10/bipartisan_foreign_policy_lead.html
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/121764.html

Syria says it won’t go unless the discussion involves the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 war:

http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/104610.html

Meanwhile, Syrians living in the Golan Heights cannot see their family members living in Syria:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/1f3234e3df63d876504d22cdbea6dda1.htm 

Syria is world’s biggest host of Iraqi refugees; US promise to host 12,000 called “token gesture” by refugee groups

I visited Syria in September 2007. The streets of Damascus were improbably full at all hours, finding a taxi was as difficult as hailing one in Manhattan, and budget hotels were booked. In 8 days, I stayed in 4 different hotels.

Why?

Iraqi refugees.

Syria hosts the largest number of Iraqi refugees of any country. Up to 1.5 million, and the country is feeling the squeeze.

The influx in such a short amount of time has driven up food, gas and real estate prices. People say that there is not enough food being grown to feed everyone in the country. Electricity and water supplies are taxed.

I visited one Syrian family, and they did not have running water. It is turned off every evening until morning, the government’s attempt at dealing with shortages.

While Syria is hosting nearly one and a half million refugees, the United States has promised to host 12,000 by the end of next year. Refugee groups are highly critical:

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hysZ8Us4hibA1Euv6zKbNotfRHPg

Syria – Online Communities

Both Andrew Tabler and Joshua Landis have people discussing Syrian/Mid-East issues on their blogs:

www.joshualandis.com

www.andrewtabler.com

Lonely Planet has an active discussion board about travel in Syria:

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/categories.cfm?catid=18&iCountryId=81

Yahoo News UK has active mid-east discussion board with references to Syria:

http://uk.messages.news.yahoo.com/World_Regions/forumview?bn=UKN-REG-Middle+East

http://uk.messages.news.yahoo.com/World_Regions/threadview?m=tm&bn=UKN-REG-Middle+East&tid=34357&mid=34357&tof=17&frt=2

Creative Syria also has people discussing Syria:

http://www.creativesyria.com/syrianbloggers/

Syria Stew-Key Media Resources

1. Two blogs, one by a journalist working in Syria and another by an American professor:

www.joshualandis.com/blog

www.andrewtabler.com

2. New organizations:

news.yahoo.com

www.ap.org

www.time-blog/middle_east

www.bbc.co.uk (middle east news page)

www.irinnews.org

www.english.aljazeera.net

www.syria-news.com

www.syria-today.com (independently produced English-language on-line magazine)

mideastwire.com