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“Syria Doesn’t Need Dialogue To Know What They Need to Do” (VIDEO)

July 23rd, 2006 at 11:14 by MsUnderestimated

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: when all is said and done, John Bolton’s recess appointment to the U.N. will be one of THE most brilliant moves by President Bush during his time in the White House. John Bolton is a no-nonsense kind of man, and yes, he’s suggested flippantly that lopping off the top 10 floors off the U.N. building would be a good start, but I have to say… I’m not so sure that’s not a bad idea! Especially in light of the history of failure of the U.N. in the past, and in this current conflict with “peace-keepers” on the Israel/Lebanon border. Gee… can you guess whether or not they’ve been effective? Apparently not.

On Fox News Sunday today, Brit was sitting in for Chris Wallace, and Bolton was his primary interview. Bolton does not mince words, much like the Prez, and that’s one reason why I admire him. He’s got that chutzpah that we need right now to take the U.N. to task, and say “you gotta be KIDDING me?” when such a sentiment is necessary. Heck, even crying Voinovich said he now believes Bolton is doing a good job, even though he cried before Senate lamenting the possible appointment of Bolton, and will vote to consider his nomination for the permanent post at the U.N., which is coming up this Thursday. Somehow I’m not enthused. Voinovich (RINO) is not one to be trusted, so the proof will be in the proverbial pudding – time will tell. For now, we have this brilliant man-to-man, straight-talk between Hume and Bolton as some legitimate meat of decisiveness. No politicization, no talking points, just two guys talking about the way things are and the way things should be. Nothing nuanced about this encounter.

I have tremendous respect for both Brit Hume and John Bolton, and that respect was just notched up a bit more today after watching their exchange. It’s no wonder the Left is scared of Bolton. He tells it like it is.

Here is a partial transcript:

HUME: Let me ask you first about what may be a development of some consequence. The Syrian deputy foreign minister Faisal Meqdad says this morning, quote, “Syria is ready for dialogue with the United States based on respect and mutual interest.” He said a solution to the crisis lies in an immediate cease-fire brokered by international powers followed by diplomacy. Does that move the ball at all, Mr. Ambassador?

BOLTON: It’s hard to see. I mean, Syria doesn’t need dialogue to know what they need to do. They need to lean on Hezbollah to get them to release the two captured Israeli soldiers and stop the launch of rockets against innocent Israeli civilians. Syria, along with Iran, is really part of the problem because of their longtime support for Hezbollah and other armed groups inside Lebanon. So I don’t know what that adds necessarily, although I suppose it’s better than nothing.

HUME: Well, does it provide a — I mean, is there any reason why this message that you’ve just delivered on this program shouldn’t be delivered to the Syrians by some American representative face to face?

BOLTON: Well, we have an embassy in Damascus. And I think the Syrians have gotten the message — or they should have gotten the message unmistakably that their continued aid and support of Hezbollah, their refusal to carry out security resolution — Security Council Resolution 1559 to get all of their intelligence personnel out of Lebanon, allow the new democratic government there to function, to cooperate with the international investigation into the assassination of former prime minister — Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri — if the Syrians would do all the things they already know they’re supposed to do, that would be a major step forward.

HUME: So, to your knowledge, there’s been no direct discussions by any American officials with the Syrian government.

BOLTON: I’m not aware of any. But as I say, we have an embassy in Damascus.

HUME: Right.

BOLTON: They could pick up the phone.

Slam! Why should it be up to US to make all the efforts? Why can’t the Syrians pick up the phone to our embassy and talk there?

And on the impotent U.N.’s peace-keepers on the Israel/Lebanese border, we have this exchange:

HUME: Let me ask you about that U.N. presence. You’ve had that U.N. garrison, sort of a sad little garrison, up there on the border with Israel now since, I guess, some time back in the ’70s. There you can see the watchtower there and the U.N. flag sort of flying in the breeze. It hasn’t done very much.

Was it ever contemplated that it would be an enforcer of U.N. Resolution 1559, which, as you’ve indicated, was to police — or was a command that foreign forces of all kinds leave Lebanon and also that the Hezbollah attacks on Israel stop?

BOLTON: Well, the U.N. force that’s there now really does not have the mandate to do it, and here’s an interesting little fact. That force is called the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon. It was sent there on an interim basis in 1978, 28 years ago. So it’s been a long interim and I think, sadly, has not been successful.

That’s one reason why we need to look at the long-term possibilities of a sustained solution here, not another 28-year-long interim force, but to take the circumstances we find and see if we can’t build the foundations for a really lasting peace this time.

Read the full transcript of the entire show here, and watch the video here.

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