US law makers criticise Bush admin over intelligence on Syria
Top US law makers have slammed the Bush administration for holding back intelligence it possessed about an alleged Syrian nuclear reactor that Israel bombed last year.
By PTI |
WASHINGTON: Top US law makers have slammed the Bush administration for holding back intelligence it possessed about an alleged Syrian nuclear reactor that Israel bombed last year even as Washington says the silence was intended with a view to not provoking a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Last week, senior US intelligence officials revealed that they have long believed that the facility targeted by Israel was a Syrian reactor designed to produce plutonium that had been constructed with the assistance of North Korea.
The revelation took many in Washington and beyond by surprise, and is causing deep concern among Republican and Democratic members of Congress.
"I think that this was a huge problem in the Middle East, a destabilising effort. I believe the Israelis did the right thing by taking out this facility," said a key ally of President Bush on Capitol Hill, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, Pete Hoekstra.
"I think the administration believes it will help them get to a deal with North Korea. I think that many of us believe that the timing of it, what information they released, what information they did not release, and who they released it to is going to make it more difficult for them to reach an agreement that will be supported by Congress and supported by the American people. The administration has handled this very badly," Hoekstra said on the "Late Edition" programme of a TV channel.
How close was this to being operational? Who funded this for Syria? How close was the North Korean-Syrian cooperation? And where else might North Korea have been involved in proliferation," he asked.
Hoekstra said, had the Bush administration revealed what it knew about the Syrian facility sooner, his committee and other entities could have probed the matter and possibly arrived at answers before now.
Echoing his thoughts, Democratic member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Senator Dianne Feinstein said, "I think so, too. I think Israel just can't countenance a nuclear facility from a hostile nation that's their neighbour. I think it's just that simple."
Feinstein added that she was puzzled by the timing of the Bush administration's release of intelligence on Syria, coming seven months after Israel bombed the suspected nuclear facility.
"I think they're sending some kind of a message, which candidly I don't understand, to North Korea, and I think they're also one way or another influencing an agreement with Syria and Israel.
"And to me, the timing is very suspected...Mr. Hoekstra is absolutely correct. We want to know what kind of involvement North Korea has had with other countries as well. And the fact that this nuclear weapons facility seems to be along the lines of the North Korean prototype, that there are actual photographs of North Koreans and Syrians in nuclear-related surroundings, makes one believe that there's been an ongoing relationship for some time," the California Senator added.
"If this had been dealt with in an open way at the time, I think all these things could have been nailed down. The North Korean talks perhaps could have been more successful, and Syria might have been put in a place where an accommodation with Israel is more appropriate. Right now, it can well blow up the situation, and I think that's too bad," Feinstein said.
Last week, senior US intelligence officials revealed that they have long believed that the facility targeted by Israel was a Syrian reactor designed to produce plutonium that had been constructed with the assistance of North Korea.
The revelation took many in Washington and beyond by surprise, and is causing deep concern among Republican and Democratic members of Congress.
"I think that this was a huge problem in the Middle East, a destabilising effort. I believe the Israelis did the right thing by taking out this facility," said a key ally of President Bush on Capitol Hill, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, Pete Hoekstra.
"I think the administration believes it will help them get to a deal with North Korea. I think that many of us believe that the timing of it, what information they released, what information they did not release, and who they released it to is going to make it more difficult for them to reach an agreement that will be supported by Congress and supported by the American people. The administration has handled this very badly," Hoekstra said on the "Late Edition" programme of a TV channel.
How close was this to being operational? Who funded this for Syria? How close was the North Korean-Syrian cooperation? And where else might North Korea have been involved in proliferation," he asked.
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Hoekstra said, had the Bush administration revealed what it knew about the Syrian facility sooner, his committee and other entities could have probed the matter and possibly arrived at answers before now.
Echoing his thoughts, Democratic member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Senator Dianne Feinstein said, "I think so, too. I think Israel just can't countenance a nuclear facility from a hostile nation that's their neighbour. I think it's just that simple."
Feinstein added that she was puzzled by the timing of the Bush administration's release of intelligence on Syria, coming seven months after Israel bombed the suspected nuclear facility.
"I think they're sending some kind of a message, which candidly I don't understand, to North Korea, and I think they're also one way or another influencing an agreement with Syria and Israel.
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"And to me, the timing is very suspected...Mr. Hoekstra is absolutely correct. We want to know what kind of involvement North Korea has had with other countries as well. And the fact that this nuclear weapons facility seems to be along the lines of the North Korean prototype, that there are actual photographs of North Koreans and Syrians in nuclear-related surroundings, makes one believe that there's been an ongoing relationship for some time," the California Senator added.
"If this had been dealt with in an open way at the time, I think all these things could have been nailed down. The North Korean talks perhaps could have been more successful, and Syria might have been put in a place where an accommodation with Israel is more appropriate. Right now, it can well blow up the situation, and I think that's too bad," Feinstein said.
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