Al- Lewa': Syrian efforts to prevent striking Iraq

The Lebanese daily al- Lewa' quoted well-informed diplomatic sources in Damascus as saying that the Syrian leadership is making intensive efforts with international parties in order to urge the US to stop the possible launch of a military attack against Iraq.

In a report from Damascus, the paper quoted these sources as saying that the Syrian leadership believes that this American attack is eventually coming and therefore Syria's main intention now is to enhance its internal front in order to withstand the implications of this attack which will expose and open several files in the region.

The paper added quoting its correspondents in Damascus that the statements made by the source come after the arrival of American aviation technicians team secretly to the military Deyar Baker base to the East of Turkey in order to follow up training carried out at the base for F-16 fighter planes, and Washington is planning to deploy more than 2000 soldiers in the base in case an operation is carried out against Iraq.

The sources considered that Israel is a basic partner in the likely American attack against Iraq, and that the military maneuvers which are carried out in Jordan between Jordanian and American forces are an introduction for the American military attack against Iraq.

The paper' sources added that Jordan is in a very critical conditions, noting that Jordan may not permit the American forces to use its territories as a starting point for the military attack against Iraq due to the economic benefits Jordan gets from the Iraqi trade market.