Russian President Vladimir Putin, "the toughest nut to crack"
Photo: AP
Diplomat: Russia trying to save Syrians
While the Americans are considering which steps to take against Syria in the U.N. Security Council session on Tuesday in which the U.N. report on the murder of Hariri will be presented, a senior diplomatic source in New York tells Ynet that "the toughest nut to crack is Russia, which is trying to save the Syrians"
The Russian government is attempting to rescue the Syrians from the potentially devastating consequences of a U.N. report on the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, which has tied senior Syrian officials to the murder, a senior diplomat in New York told Ynet.
Ahead of the U.N. Security Council session on the report, and on which steps to take against Syria, the "toughest nut to crack" has been Russia, which is trying to save the Syrians. Their excuse is that the report is intermediate, and that the final report of the investigation committee must come out before further steps are considered, the diplomat said.
Senior American government officials are weighing up which steps to take ahead of Tuesday's Security Council session, in which the German judge leading the investigation team, Detlev Mehlis, will present his report.
One of the suggestions which was examined over the weekend in Washington in talks between President Bush, Secretary of State Rice, and U.N. Ambassador John Bolton was the possibility of inviting the foreign minister of the Security Council to Washington, in order to formulate a joint policy on steps to be taken against Syria.
Last minute changes
Shortly before publication, Mehlis removed the names of senior Syrian and Lebanese officials suspected of being involved in the murder of Hariri. Some of the member states of the Security Council are planning on attacking Mehlis for the step. At a press conference over the weekend, Mehlis explained that he took the decision to remove the names because it became known to him that they were leaked to the media.
The United States is applying international pressure to ensure that the Council passes a decision calling on Damascus to cooperate with the international community in the investigation.
According to various reports, Washington will demand that Damascus turn in senior Syrians involved in the assassination, including Mahar Assad, brother of President Basher Assad. Other suspects include Asaf Shawkat, the president's right-hand man, as well as a number of Syrian intelligence officials.
If Syria doesn't respond to the request, the U.S. plans on imposing aggressive international economic sanctions on Damascus, similar to those imposed on Libya following the Lockerbie attack.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on the international community to weigh its next steps regarding Syria in light of the U.N. report, saying that the accusations were extremely serious, and urging the U.N. not to leave the report "on the table."
On Monday, Assad dispatched a letter to members of the Security Council addressing the murder. The content of the letter has yet to be revealed.
