Syria's Role in Middle East Crisis
M. O'BRIEN: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in the region. She's in Beirut now. That was an unpublicized stop on her itinerary. It was reported to us after she arrived for security reasons. But one location on her itinerary which we're pretty certain will not pop up surprisingly to the media or to the public would be Damascus, Syria. Joining us now to talk about Syria's role in this unfolding Middle East crisis is Bashar Ja'afari. He is the Syrian ambassador to the United Nations. Ambassador Ja'afari, good to have you with us. Do you wish Condoleezza Rice was traveling to Damascus?</s>BASHAR JA'AFARI, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Well, first of all, thank you very much for having me with you this morning. Actually, in today's diplomacy you cannot say my way or the highway. You will have to get involved in negotiations with all concerned parties, and anywhere on earth. So you cannot pretend or assume to make peace, once again, a separate peace in the area, regardless of the core issues, which is the Palestinian occupied territories of the Golan, the Syrian Golan, occupied by Israel since 1967, and Shebaa Farms. So, if Ms. Condoleezza Rice is going there to -- to reiterate once again the same mistakes, I am afraid that will lead nowhere.</s>M. O'BRIEN: Let me ask you this, Ambassador Ja'afari. If Syria were inclined to do it, could it stop the violence on the part of Hezbollah today?</s>JA'AFARI: The only power now capable of stopping the fire is the American administration, nobody else.</s>M. O'BRIEN: The Syrians do not have sway with Hezbollah?</s>JA'AFARI: Hezbollah is a national resistance movement fighting for its -- for the sovereignty of Lebanon, for getting back the occupied Lebanese territories, for getting back 10,000 Arab prisoners in the Israeli jails. These people are fighting the same way George Washington did it 200 years ago.</s>M. O'BRIEN: George Washington? You're equating this to George Washington?</s>JA'AFARI: Absolutely.</s>M. O'BRIEN: A lot of people looking at this see a regional dynamic here which is very troubling. You, your government supporting Hezbollah, your government, in turn, receiving support from Iran. Let's listen to your colleague from the United States, John Bolton, and see what he has to say.</s>JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: I think the Iranians and the Syrians have engaged in an extensive amount of cooperation in recent weeks and months which has been very troubling. Whether Syria and Iran can be separated is a good question.</s>M. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about that links, your links to Iran, your links to Hezbollah. Are you -- is Syria not fanning the flames?</s>JA'AFARI: Well, actually, it's not up to the American delegate in the United Nations to determine in advance how Syria should behave in the area. We have our own foreign relationship with anybody -- with all countries all over the world. So it's up to our interest, national interest, to determine with whom we should have alliances and with whom we shouldn't. This is number one. Number two is that the problem is not the Syrian-Iranian axis, as somebody would like to say. The problem is the American backing of the Israeli aggression against all the area since 1967. Providing Israel with 500 laser-bombed -- laser-guided bombs would mean that the American administration is agreeable to the destruction of Lebanon. This is a green light given to Israel to go ahead with its aggression against Lebanon and to extend the conflict to other countries in the area. This is why our...</s>M. O'BRIEN: Mr. Ambassador, there are many people who believe that it is -- in fact, just the opposite could be true, that perhaps your country could in some way lead to a broadening crisis here. Let me ask you this, if the Israelis continue their push into southern Lebanon, where is the red line? At what point will they have gone far enough that it would somehow prompt military action on the part of your government?</s>JA'AFARI: Syria is not seeking any military confrontation with anybody. Syria is seeking peace, genuine peace in the area, genuine sentiment of the Arab-Israeli conflict. We are not seeking any military confrontation. Our people are tired of this Israeli -- continuous Israeli aggression. We would like to reach an understanding with the American administration so that the whole peace process would be resumed once again on the basis of the</s>M. O'BRIEN: Well, Mr. Ambassador, would you -- would you play your part by asking Hezbollah to stop sending missiles in the direction of where I stand right now?</s>JA'AFARI: Hezbollah is defending itself in a very disproportionate way.</s>M. O'BRIEN: How is aiming -- let me ask you, sir, how is aiming at civilians here in Haifa, how is that defending itself?</s>JA'AFARI: It's a pity that all civilians are targeted, either in Haifa or elsewhere. We are not favorable to any destruction of civilians or targeting civilians, but please look at the other side. Look what is happening in Beirut, in Tripoli, in Tyre. Israel is destroying the whole Lebanon. And you are talking about Haifa, about a couple of rockets landing in Haifa from time to time? We are talking about the destruction of the whole country. Have a look at Lebanon, and then you will get to the conclusion.</s>M. O'BRIEN: OK. But, of course, if you're the family who lost a loved one because of those couple of rockets, it doesn't really matter. Bashar Ja'afari, the ambassador from Syria to the United Nations. Thank you for your time, sir.</s>JA'AFARI: Thank you very much. Thank you.</s>M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.</s>S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Miles. Ahead this morning, Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us live. He visit two Beirut hospitals. He says there's one big problem that's not getting the attention it needs. We'll talk about that. Plus, U.N. emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland has come out with some of the strongest criticism yet for Israel. We'll talk about that. A special split edition of AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this short break.