(Wall Street Journal Europe-25Oct04) Editorial - How seriously does Syrian dictator Bashar Assad take the UN Security Council? Not very. In response to Assad's disregarding one declaration with no backbone, the Security Council decided to pass another. And unsurprisingly, Assad's response was much the same. Unlike the first resolution, which required a report in 30 days, this one asks for Mr. Annan to report back in six months. In his report, Mr. Annan said it was time for foreign troops to leave Lebanon and end a "sad chapter in Lebanese history." Until the Security Council realizes that the threat of more paper reports and resolutions isn't what makes a dictator fold - it's the threat of force that does - Lebanon's story is only going to get sadder and sadder.
2004-10-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive