May 7, 2008
Dossier: Peter van Walsum



UN rattled by an envoy's principled stand

BACKGROUNDER
Compiled by Bill Gertz

Intel failure in Syria raises questions: Can U.S. monitor proliferation?

U.S. intelligence agencies failed to detect the secret Syrian nuclear facility built with North Korean assistance until the factory was almost complete, according to U.S. officials.

The failure is the latest in a string of intelligence failures and raises questions about whether U.S. intelligence agencies can adequately monitor the spread of weapons of mass destruction, supposedly one of the highest national security priorities for the United States.

A senior U.S. intelligence official who briefed reporters on the Syria-North Korea nuclear cooperation stated that the facility located on the Euphrates River near al Kibar had been under surveillance since 2001 and that reports indicated Syrian-North Korean cooperation.



Syria moving formally into Iran's strategic orbit

Regardless of an Israeli withdrawal and a major U.S. aid package, Syria plans to maintain and develop its strategic alliance with Iran. The regime of President Bashar Assad had sent messages via intermediaries to the United States that Damascus regards its ties with Teheran as vital and not threatening to regional interests.      
Focus on the Persian Gulf States
UAE strategy against Iran threat: Economic clout, focus on security       


Israeli success at getting photographs inside the reactor led to the Sept. 6 strike that destroyed the facility
This undated image released by the U.S. Government shows a Syrian nuclear reactor under construction in Syria.
Reuters/U.S. Government
Focus on Iran
Naval showdown with Iran in the Gulf increasingly likely   
Northeast Asia Report
Administration softens its response on N. Korean proliferation to Syria   
Focus on Terrorism
Al Qaida has active cells in major Turkish cities   
Military Technology
British firms traded with Iran's elite force    
East-Asia-Intel.com
China: 'Constant' high tech development for 'informationized war'    
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