Take Back the Media

“Of course the people do not want war. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it is a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism” Herman Goering-Nazi Leader-Nuremberg Trial

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Location: United States

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Israeli airstrike hit military site, Syria confirms


Julian Borger
London Guardian
Tuesday October 02, 2007

Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, yesterday claimed the target hit by an Israeli airstrike last month was a military building under construction, but denied it had anything to do with a nuclear programme.
President Assad said he could not understand the motives for the mysterious September 6 airstrike on Syria, which the Israeli government has refused to discuss. There has been speculation, in Israel and Washington, that the target was nuclear technology from North Korea.

"We found the building construction was related to the military but it's not used," he said, according to a BBC transcript. "It's under construction so there's no people in it, there's no army, there's nothing in it and we do not know the reason, it wasn't clear."

Asked about the rumours of a nuclear project set up with North Korea, he replied: "We have a relation with North Korea and this is not something in secret ... We are not interested in any nuclear activity."

(Article continues below)

He said the targeted building site did not have "any protection, any air defence" and that after the attack "there's no radiations, no emergency plans". However, Mr Assad did not say what the building was intended for, nor was he directly asked.

He played down, but did not exclude, the possibility of a military response. "Retaliation doesn't mean missile for missile and bomb for bomb. We have our means to retaliate, maybe politically, maybe in other ways," he said.

President Assad also said Syria would not attend a Middle East peace conference planned by the US next month, unless it explicitly dealt with the fate of territory captured by Israel from Syria in 1967.

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