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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/14/AR2005071401699.html
A Second Chance In Syria
(Washington Post) David Ignatius - Administration officials argue that Syrian President Bashar Assad has been supporting violent extremists in Lebanon, in the Palestinian territories, and most of all in Iraq. That's "unacceptable," says a senior administration official, and Assad must show he's serious about change. "We are not trying to destabilize Syria, but we are trying to change the conduct of the regime," he says. A second senior administration official notes: "Assad needs to make a strategic choice for change. That's the only way he saves himself. Otherwise he's isolated." The officials say they're unimpressed by arguments that a post-Assad Syria could be as bloody and chaotic as post-Saddam Hussein Iraq has become. As for Assad's claims that he's fostering internal reform, administration officials say the regime's pressure on dissidents has actually increased in recent weeks.