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New York Times: U.S. gov't split over Israeli data on Syria-N. Korea ties
By Haaretz Staff

The New York Times reported Wednesday that United States government officials are divided over the significance of Israeli intelligence provided to the White House prior to its backing of an Israel Air Force attack on a reported nuclear facility in Syria on September 6.

According to the paper, U.S. officials say the debate centers on the question of whether the information Israel presented to the White House, which reportedly claimed that Syria had begun developing nuclear weapons with the North Korean help, had been conclusive enough to warrant the strike and to possibly alter U.S. policy on both Damascus and Pyongyang.

The report says that one side is represented by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and the conservative hawks in the administration, who argue that American policy must change in accordance with the Israeli information, which they portray as accurate and credible.
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The Times says that on the opposing side is U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her allies, who maintain that the intelligence does not warrant any change in the U.S. diplomatic policy on the two countries.

"Some people think that it means that the sky is falling," a senior administration official told the New York Times. "Others say that they're not convinced that the real intelligence poses a threat."

ABC News reported last week that the strike was originally scheduled to take place on July 14, but was delayed due to hesitance on the part of the Americans.

The ABC report added that the U.S., embroiled in a war in Iraq partially due to faulty intelligence, was nervous about the accuracy of the information and the implications on the region an attack would have.

The New York Times reported that during a meeting last week in the White House, Rice and her chief North Korea negotiator Christopher Hill presented to U.S. President George W. Bush two possible diplomatic approaches toward Pyongyang. The first approach would be to operate in accordance with previous agreements struck with North Korea and offer the country incentives to disarm. The other option would be to revert to the administration's previous policy, led by Cheney, which its opponents argue compelled North Korea to begin its nuclear program.

The vice president and national security adviser Stephen Hadley, who were also present at the meeting, expressed their dissatisfaction with the president's decision to take the first option and honor the current agreement. They maintained that the information presented by Israel proves that North Korea cannot be trusted and that the U.S. must be prepared to withdraw from the agreements if Pyongyang refuses to admit to contacts with Syria.

Bruce Riedel, formerly of the CIA and the National Security Council, told the newspaper that the American intelligence agencies are careful not to jump to conclusions based on the IAF activity in Syria.
Still, Riedel said that Israel would not have targeted the Syrian facility unless it believed sophisticated weaponry was being developed there.

"You don't risk general war in the Middle East over an extra 100 kilometers' range on a missile system," he said.

Since the nuclear experiment the North Korea carried out last year, Rice has been pressuring Bush to take a more diplomatic approach to the Asian country and embark on talks over disarmament. The talks, including Russia, Japan, China and South Korea, led to a preliminary agreement on the closing of the North Korean nuclear reactor in exchange for food and fuel aid.

The deal sparked resistance among Capitol Hill conservatives who said that the Bush administration was putting too much weight on negotiations with North Korea instead of investing resources in preventing the spread of illicit weapons in the Middle East.

Related articles:
  • Report: Israel delayed Syria strike due to U.S. hesitance
  • Syria: There are no N. Korea-Syria nuclear facilities whatsoever
  • Syrian official: After IAF raid, Israel can forget about peace
  • Damascus: IAF planes dropped live ammunition on Syria during flyover
  • Israel mum on any IAF entry into Syria airspace
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      1.   With a terror state like Syria, better to be safe than sorry. 10:51  |  SLAVO 10/10/07
      2.   Oh no, not again..... 11:04  |  Esther 10/10/07
      3.   Cheneys at it again!! 11:16  |  Mr. T 10/10/07
      4.   THE DEVILS NEOCONS... IN ACTION AGAIN 11:20  |  TrippleJump 10/10/07
      5.   Isareli intelligence is fabrication and unreliable.. 11:21  |  Kokonot 10/10/07
      6.   It is shocking for me a US citizen to read this 11:23  |  James 10/10/07
      7.   So half the US administration doesn`t believe the intelligence. 11:23  |  Michael 10/10/07
      8.   ISRAEL PRACTICE STATE TERRORISM, IT CANNOT BE TRUSTED 11:24  |  Drogba 10/10/07
      9.   World must put an end to Israeli terrorist activities 11:28  |  Marcel 10/10/07
      10.   IRAQ 11:37  |  ron 10/10/07
      11.   The US intelligence community don`t believe the Israelis 11:53  |  Johnboy 10/10/07
      12.   Not just Israel 11:53  |  Ben 10/10/07
      13.   Israel`s Palestinian conflict leads to global nuclear ESCALATION 12:02  |  Ivar 10/10/07
      14.   With Cheney as an ally, you better watch your back 12:08  |  Natallie Durson 10/10/07
      15.   Caught out 12:18  |  Joseph 10/10/07
      16.   The New York Times 12:19  |  Avi 10/10/07
      17.   Condi and US State Department is the push for Demcratization camp 12:22  |  Avi 10/10/07
      18.   THIS COLUMN PRODUCES POSTERS WITH 12:34  |  paul harris 10/10/07
      19.   #6 ITIS SHOCKING TO ME YOU ARE A U.S. CITIZEN 12:34  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 10/10/07
      20.   @8 ...As opposed to the Islmofacists 12:36  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 10/10/07
      21.   6James you`ll be still more shocked if you read James Petras,The 12:44  |  lakshmi 10/10/07
      22.   Sensible analysis Joseph #15 12:46  |  Jasmine Murphy 10/10/07
      23.   Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Cheney 12:58  |  Mark Lincoln 10/10/07
      24.   Ignore the ignorant comments from the so called liberal “Progress 13:22  |  Eli 10/10/07
      25.   James, Read more to enlighten your mind 13:24  |  READER 10/10/07
      26.   America is opening EYES!! 13:43  |  collond 10/10/07
      27.   Dick Cheney. America`s Milosevic. 13:56  |  Michael 10/10/07
      28.   25Reader&6 James,if you go to Al Ahram Weekly you`ll find a 14:27  |  lakshmi 10/10/07
      29.   US citizens are simply hostage! 14:38  |  Tiger Paul 10/10/07
      30.   Israeli inteligence 14:45  |  Jacques Jacobs 10/10/07
      31.   Israel is the guilty party 14:45  |  Harold 10/10/07
      32.   The US Intelligence, 14:46  |  Lofasz 10/10/07
      33.   Distrust of Israeli`s is becoming more common 14:54  |  Tim 10/10/07
      34.   U:S: Gov`t split. 15:07  |  David Nigel Braham 10/10/07
      35.   AMERICA IS TAKEN HOSTAGE BY HANDFUL WARMONGERS 15:08  |  Elliot 10/10/07
      36.   US Intelligence Community ??? 15:20  |  Alex 10/10/07
      37.   Syria`s reaction speaks loudly 15:30  |  Daniel 10/10/07
      38.   Enough is Enough 15:31  |  Double Click 10/10/07
      39.   CHENEY IS RIGHT 100% 15:37  |  THE LIBRARIAN 10/10/07
      40.   bottom line: "do whatever you have to do... to survive" 16:05  |  king 10/10/07
      41.   The simplest explanation 16:22  |  Tosefta 10/10/07
      42.   #9 Marcel 16:31  |  Axel 10/10/07
      43.   ONE AMERICANS WILL REVOLT AGAINST ZIONISTS WITHIN 16:32  |  Eric 10/10/07
      44.   DPRK & trust 16:36  |  Stan 10/10/07
      45.   Elliot of Ohio 16:46  |  Lynn 10/10/07
      46.   Johnboy - the question is on your intelligence 17:03  |  Jewboy 10/10/07
      47.   Dr. Rice 17:05  |  yitz 10/10/07
      48.   Many Posters must work for Govt 17:10  |  Bill 10/10/07
      49.   The New York Times is .... 17:18  |  Lynn 10/10/07
      50.   Tiger Paul from Portugal 17:20  |  Lynn 10/10/07
      51.   # 14 The pal`n remains the pal`n, Fatmah... 17:47  |  Misha 10/10/07
      52.   Lynn read what u want!! 18:13  |  collond 10/10/07
      53.   Eris is right 18:15  |  collond 10/10/07
      54.   JewBoy 18:41  |  Jasmine Murphy 10/10/07
      55.   Pick and Choose 18:45  |  MichaelF 10/10/07
      56.   The context begs differ!#5 18:55  |  Paul 10/10/07
      57.   Tosefta over simplifies 18:57  |  Jewboy 10/10/07
      58.   Maybe the Oil States "slapped" Bush`s wrists for not asking their 18:57  |  a wandering Jew 10/10/07
      59.   Ameria is confusing everyone 18:58  |  Paul 10/10/07
      60.   Reasonable joke but no prize-winner 19:40  |  Tosefta 10/10/07
      61.   Thanks God for US Intel & Military 19:44  |  Persian Kitty 10/10/07
      62.   Split 19:45  |  P. J. Casey 10/10/07
      63.   Re Nat #14 19:52  |  Esther 10/10/07
      64.   to #16 Avi - The NY Times has been `unreliable` for years 20:51  |  Chick 10/10/07
      65.   Split 62 / Tim 21:22  |  Bill 10/10/07
      66.   An even simpler explanation 21:40  |  Jacob Blues 10/10/07
      67.   50 21:42  |  Tiger Paul 10/10/07
      68.   the Sep 6 IAF strike against the said Syria`s facility should 21:52  |  Joseph E. 10/10/07
      69.   N. Korean ship carrying "cement" 21:53  |  Dakkar 10/10/07
      70.   @29 tiger paul in 6 bln you count all macacas likeyou 22:16  |  viktor 10/10/07
      71.   @30 bravo jacques!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 22:17  |  vladimir 10/10/07
      72.   James no shock to me . Israel did the right thing and 22:48  |  Steve a US citizen 10/10/07
      73.   Tiger Paul the only people who dont like Jews and Isreal are anti 22:52  |  Steve-USA 10/10/07
      74.   Get rid of Rice! 22:57  |  David 10/10/07
      75.   #69 Dakkar - In a way they wound up being right 23:12  |  CHick 10/10/07
      76.   collon-lobbies 23:31  |  Mark T 10/10/07
      77.   double click 23:34  |  Mark T 10/10/07
      78.   Syria does not have nuclear weapons 00:12  |  Avi 11/10/07
      79.   Israeli Intelliegent 00:23  |  Abe 11/10/07
      80.