SYRIA ACCUSED

by RAY FLEMING
WITH one voice on Friday, President Bush, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, and UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said that “something must be done, and soon”. They were all reacting to the UN report on the assassination last February of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister of Lebanon. The report, drawn up by Detlev Mehlis, a 25-year veteran of the Berlin prosecutor's office, points the figure of blame for the assassination at the Syrian government and its associates in the Lebanese security forces. If Mr Mehlis is right, those responsible in the Syrian government are very close to President Bashar Assad, some of them with family links to him. Mr Bush said the report showed that “the politically motivated assassination could not have taken place without Syrian involvement” and he drew the conclusion that the world must “respond accordingly”. Just what response the US government might think appropriate may become clearer on Tuesday when the UN Security Concil will meet to discuss Mr Mehlis's report. Syria has been in America's sights now for some time, partly because of its alleged support for Palestinian militants and partly for the alleged help it is giving to insurgents in Iraq, and it understandable that the Bush administration would like to use this new report as hard evidence of Syria's deviousness and unreliaibility. However, it is very important indeed that action on the report should not be rushed. The Middle East is in enough of a mess already without the addition of hasty and headstrong moves against Syria which could only make matters worse. Furthermore, it has to be kept in mind that the report published on Friday is not the final word from Mr Mehlis; he has asked for, and been given by the UN, until December 15 to continue his investigations. The fact that his team of investigators numbers 30 with 70 back-up staff shows how complex a task he is undertaking. In an interview this week with the German news magazine Stern Mr Mehlis said he knew that his report would fuel the American-led campaign against Syria and, in a telling reference to the former UN weapons inspector, said I know how Hans Blix must have felt.”