Syria denies reports that IAF struck nuclear facility

[lovuian]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/903949.html
snip...

"There are no nuclear North Korean-Syrian facilities whatsoever in Syria," Moustapha said.

On Saturday, The Washington Post published an article saying the IAF strike was aimed at a shipment that had arrived in Syria aboard a North Korean vessel three days earlier, and may have included equipment and materials related to nuclear technology.

The expert spoke on condition of anonymity in order to protect his sources, who the report said are comprised of "Israeli participants" in the strike. He said the shipment was labeled as cement, but Israel believed it carried nuclear equipment.

The U.S. daily said the expert believed the IAF strike targeted a facility the Syrians claim serves as an "agricultural research center," but Israel believes is used to extract uranium from phosphates.

The Washington Post also reported that the secrecy of the mission, on which Israel refuses to release details, was extended to those who carried it out. He said that the pilots providing cover for the aircraft that attacked the facility were not given specifics of the mission, and the pilots who actually carried out the strike were only briefed after they were in the air.
more...

Hey does anybody know about this Washington Post story about Nuclear reactor???
This is front page news on haaretz today

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Only Israel is allowed to have a secret nuclear arsenal.

Because they are the "good guys".

[lovuian]

2. How does the Washington Post know about nuclear reactors in

Syria???
Need a little help here Duers???

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. There isn't an answer to this question, because there aren't any

nuclear reactors there. It's another disinformation campaign like all the others. THe broad intent here is to bolster hatred & mistrust & fear of Syria & Iran - the remaining "outlaws" that they need to reign in.

[lovuian]

7. thanks so instead of using the Judith Miller NYT propoganda

machine they are using the Washington Post now

same tactics over and over again

[malaise]

15. Bingo n/t

[DemFromMem]

3. What are the North Koreans shipping to Syria?

There's now another report on Ha'Aretz independent of reports in the Washington Post. I wouldn't assume this is all made up.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/903991.html

Online databases tracking a ship reportedly flying a North Korean flag that docked in Syria have changed their records following a report in The Washington Post linking the alleged Israeli air strike in Syria to a North Korean shipment.

Ronen Solomon, who searches information in the public domain for companies, told Haaretz he found references to a ship called Al Hamad on three different Web sites after the initial reports of the Israeli raid in Syria on September 6. These included the official sites of Syria's Tartous Port and the Egyptian Transportation Ministry.

Two of the three sites said the ship was flying a North Korean flag, and the third site reported it was flying a South Korean flag. Haaretz confirmed Solomon's report.

Saturday, the Washington Post published an article citing an American Mideast expert, who said a shipment that arrived in Syria three days before the alleged Israel Air Forces strike was labeled as cement, but that Israel believed it carried nuclear equipment. Following the Washington Post report, Solomon returned to the three sites, and discovered that all mentions of the North Korean flag on Al Hamad had been deleted, and that the ship's flag was now registered as 'unknown.'

[lovuian]

4. Thanks I just saw that come up OMG this could be South Korea

what the hell is this a set up like air attacks on Iraq AGAIN

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. "Online databases tracking a ship "

Uh uh.

Online databases? Public domain? If this were a real secret transfer of nuclear anything, would NK send a big container ship "flying flags"? This is absolutely amazing horseshit.

[The Magistrate]

10. 'Flying A Flag', Sir

Refers to what country a ship is registered with, and generally bears no relation to who actually owns and operates it. Most merchant vessels operate under such 'flags of convenience', as they are held to safety and labor standards and the like of the country of registery. A number of countries find the fees a small but useful source of income, and keep standards low to non-existant to pick up business from cut-throat ship-owners.

The vessel itself is hardly a 'big container ship', but an old steamer of about seventeen hundred tons, named al Hamad. The Syrian authorities claim it delivered a cargo of cement, which suggests something similar to an ore ship. Seventeen hundred tons is pretty small for a freighter.

[The_Casual_Observer]

11. The intent of that "piece" was clearly provocative.

The term "flying the flag" was carefully chosen by the author. And it damn well wasn't chosen to invoke an image of a rusty merchant boat concerned with circumventing potential safety violations.

[The Magistrate]

12. It Is The Term Normally Used In Describing the Registry Of A Merchant Vessel, Sir

And that is how the business operates, and has operated for decades. Liberia and Panama used to have, by registry, the largest merchant fleets in the world: the immunity from U.S. and European and even Japanese standards was more than worth the fees charged.

[The_Casual_Observer]

13. Whatever.

[SayWhatYo]

17. I think now is a good time to say..

"oh, thanks for the information, I didn't realize that"...

then of course you would probably go and verify that was said is in fact true. :D

[The_Casual_Observer]

18. Yes, I need to bow down and say thanks for the off the point pedantry about the true

meaning and intent of the authors use of "flying the flag". Good grief.

[Kagemusha]

5. Basically, we have no way of having a clue whatsoever about this.

Maybe there's some vague truth to it. Maybe there isn't whatsoever. Maybe it really is a matter of what Israeli believed.. which may not have been the truth, or not have been important enough to launch a military strike. But we don't know, we can't know, they all have an incentive to lie whichever way it goes, so there's not a whole lot we can do.

Just kiss any chance of Syria being helpful for the next few years goodbye.

[lovuian]

8. I think this is an attempt to justify the raid on Syria

and not a very good attempt either

[lovuian]

14. kick

kick

[goforit]

16. Hmmm..... Just attack any time you want.