Exclusive: State Department Quietly Warning Region On Syrian WMDs

[Purveyor]

Posted By Josh Rogin Friday, February 24, 2012 - 3:03 PM

The State Department has begun coordinating with Syria's neighbors to prepare for the handling of President Bashar al-Assad's extensive weapons of mass destruction if and when his regime collapses, The Cable has learned.

This week, the State Department sent a diplomatic demarche to Syria's neighbors Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, warning them about the possibility of Syria's WMDs crossing their borders and offering U.S. government help in dealing with the problem, three Obama administration officials confirmed to The Cable. For concerned parties both inside and outside the U.S. government, the demarche signifies that the United States is increasingly developing plans to deal with the dangers of a post-Assad Syria -- while simultaneously highlighting the lack of planning for how to directly bring about Assad's downfall.

Syria is believed to have a substantial chemical weapons program, which includes mustard gas and sophisticated nerve agents, such as sarin gas, as well as biological weapons. Syria has also refused IAEA requests to make available facilities that were part of its nuclear weapons program and may still be in operation.

The State Department declined to provide access to any officials to discuss the private diplomatic communication on the record, such as the author of the demarche Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Tom Countryman. In a meeting with reporters earlier this year, Countryman expressed confidence that the United States knows where Syria's WMD stockpiles are, but warned that they could become a very serious security issue for Syria and the region going forward.

MORE...

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/02/24/exclusive_state_department_quietly_warning_region_on_syrian_wmds

[mbperrin]

1. No doubt stored right beside Saddam's WMDs.

Seen this movie already; tired of it.

[Hugabear]

2. Riiiiiiight

Fool me once...

[jwirr]

3. Oh, please not again.

[EX500rider]

4. However wrong once doesn't mean wrong always...

..there's a reason Syria is one of seven non-signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993.

While Syria has not publicly admitted to its chemical weapons program, Syrian officials have stated that they feel it appropriate to have some deterrent against Israel's similarly non-admitted nuclear weapons program when questioned about the topic.

[Igel]

8. Fine.

Then they were a danger a few years ago, too, when Syria was *'s enemy but the friend of some in Congress.

We had that tussle. We said Assad was a good guy and as good as declared that any WMD were innocuous.

Now, of course, Assad's the bad guy that he always was and the WMDs that those who were wrong didn't like are at least as bad as the misinformed had claimed.

Have to stop now. Following the logic used back then involved so many curlicues, loop-de-loops, and abrupt changes of direction and redefining my coordinate system that I'm dizzy.

[cstanleytech]

9. Except this is a somewhat different case as so far no ones using it really as a reason to invade

rather the US is just notifying the neighboring countries that some parties might take the opportunity to try and smuggle them out while the country is in chaos.

[snappyturtle]

5. Oh no! not the dreaded WMDs again!

With all the atrocities occurring in Syria I think chemical
weapons would have all ready been used IF they possess
them.

[Fool Count]

6. Quietly? By publishing articles in US mass media? Next thing we know, they will be "quietly"

sending teams of military "experts" to "secure" those WMDs. God forbid any "terrorists" get
their hands on them.

[PuffedMica]

7. You don’t recon that Syria obtained chemical weapons capability back in 1983?

How much of a stretch is it for Rumsfeld to help both Iraq and Syria get nerve gas at the same time.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-153210/Rumsfeld-helped-Iraq-chemical-weapons.html

[stockholmer]

10. I am a 'to-the-bone' atheist, but Rummie is truly on the borderline of being a demonic presence

He fingerprints are on so many disparate and wicked events.

Nutrasweet (He was CEO of Searle, when they rammed it through the FDA, even though studies showed the dangers)

http://www.stevia.net/aspartame.htm

Tamiflu (profited millions off the Bird/Swine Flu scams)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1176743/Donald-Rumsfelds-controversial-links-drug-company-Tamiflu.html

2.3 TRillion Dollars Missing from Dept Of Defense Day before 911 2001

Iraq (before, during and after)



Drones/Torture/Police State

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/165346/

I could go on and on, but.......................