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Iraq Riches Whisked to Syria

(Washington Times) Syria's Central Bank and the Medina Bank in Lebanon are holding at least $2 billion in cash, as well as gold bullion and platinum, that was smuggled out of Iraq, according to a letter written on the stationery of the Syrian army's intelligence department. The document was sent to Nizar Nayouf, an exiled Syrian human-rights activist living in Paris. The letter names two members of the Lebanese parliament as go-betweens: Emil Lahoud, son of the pro-Syrian president of Lebanon, and Talal Arsilan, a Druze. American authorities have long suspected that Syria took Saddam Hussein's money into safe custody shortly before the war. "The U.S. has Syria firmly in its sights," said one analyst, "and Assad may feel compelled to admit the Iraqi money is there, if only to reduce American pressure for changing his regime."
2004-01-19 00:00:00
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