U.S.: Syria must hand over suspects
U.S. to demand of UN Security Council Tuesday to vote on operative measures against Syria in response to Hariri assassination investigation, require Syria to hand over suspects in hit. Americans to propose sanctions if Syria fails to comply
According to reports in sections of the Arab press in London, Kuwait and the Persian Gulf, the U.S. is interested in seeing foreign ministers participate in the council's session, in order to enable the council to decide on its response to the UN report on the assassination.
The report implicated top ranking Syrian officials in the murder plot.
During a meeting between secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her British counterpart, Jack Straw, the issues of Syria and the assassination were discussed.
Meanwhile, Washington has pressured Moscow and Beijing to support the government's anticipated proposal on the matter in the Security Council, American sources told the An-Nahar Lebanese newspaper.
The United States has already secured the support of Britain and France in the vote.
According to reports, the U.S. has also initiated a bill to require Syria to fully cooperate with the international community in the investigation, and to turn in the high ranking Syrian officials who were involved in planning the Hariri hit, including President Bashar Assad's brother, Maher, the president's brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, and Syrian intelligence officials.
If Damascus fails to comply with the demands, the U.S. will insist the country suffer severe economic sanctions by the United States and the EU.
If not all foreign ministers are able to attend the council's session Tuesday, President George W. Bush would prefer to see the meeting postponed until a full quorum can attend, An-Nahar further reported.
In the case Damascus rejects the UN's demands, the Security Council may employ against it the seventh clause in the UN's treaty which enables the council to use force when necessary.
