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The SSRC's relationship with the Syrian army began in 1973, when a presidential directive officially authorized relations between the two organizations.[6] Following an October 1983 presidential decree, all SSRC departments received an upgrade to the status of research institutes, and the director-general received the rank of a minister. Most importantly, the directive stipulated that the chief of staff, President Assad, would appoint members to the board of the SSRC, as well as its technical staff. [7]
In 2005, U.S. President George W. Bush issued Executive Order 13382: "Blocking Property of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators and their Supporters," which placed the SSRC on the U.S. Treasury Department's Specially Designated Nationals list and prohibited U.S. citizens and residents from doing business with the SSRC. [8] In 2007, the U.S. Treasury Department froze the assets of other SSRC subsidiaries, listing SSRC as the "Syrian government agency responsible for developing and producing non-conventional weapons and the missiles to deliver them."[9] The suspicions mostly revolved around the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons and ballistic missiles.
I am curious though, do you really think the NSA's spying programs could have penetrated Syria's central research centre? Can we even assume that the place is linked up to the internet to begin with?
(Reuters) - Syria, defeated by Israel in three wars and afraid its arch enemy had gained a nuclear arsenal, began in earnest to build a covert chemical weapons program three decades ago, aided by its neighbors, allies and European chemical wholesalers.
WASHINGTON — Syria's chemical weapons program stretches back decades, allowing the country to amass a supply of nerve and blister agents capable of being mounted on long-range missiles that could reach neighboring countries, according to government and independent analysts.
Its program stretches back to the 1970s or '80s — experts disagree on the precise time — as a means of developing a deterrent against Israel's presumed nuclear capabilities, according to analysts and a Congressional Research Service report.
Western non-governmental organizations have stated they believe Syria has an active chemical weapons program.[9][10][11][12] The U.S. has stated that the Syria "has had a chemical warfare program since the mid-1980s", In 1988, a U.S. analyst described Syria's CW capability as more advanced than that of Iraq, however, Israel stated in 1989 that Syria had the "potential for chemical warfare, but not more than that".
Syria began developing an indigenous chemical production capability in 1971 at the Centre D'Etudes et de Recherches Scientifiques (CERS) – a facility in Damascus that today administers Syria's CW program while also contributing directly to research and development efforts. [14] According to Gordon Burck and Charles Flowerree, however, most reports indicate that Syria's CW production capability came online sometime in the mid-1980's. [15] In 1989, CIA Director William Webster testified that Syria had begun producing CW agents in the early 1980's. [16] In 1983, a U.S. Special National Intelligence Estimate first identified a Syrian CW production facility. By 1986, Seth Carus wrote that in just five years, Syria had obtained CW production technology from Western Europe and had focused its attention on producing nerve agents. [17] Reportedly, unidentified U.S. officials also indicated that Syria could produce sarin, a charge repeated by Shimon Peres. [18] By the end of 1986, Prime Minister Yitzhaq Shamir, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin had all openly stated that Syria was producing nerve agents and delivery systems. [19] By 1990, both media and statements by U.S. officials indicated that Syria had converted several agrochemical factories into sarin production facilities. [20] Reports then appeared alleging that Syria had begun researching the more toxic V-series nerve agents. Throughout the 1990s, reports pointed to continuing work on V-agents but also suggested a lack of success. [21] While the CIA never publicly committed to the view that Syria possessed VX, 721 reports in the 1990s claimed either that Syria "may be trying to develop more potent nerve agents," or that it "apparently tried to develop more toxic and persistent nerve agents."
Originally posted by Ahabstar
So with this declaration, Obama and the Obama Administration is confirming that either Bush was right and there were WMD in Iraq or is admitting that US Intelligence, DHS, NSA spying and the Patriot Act under Obama's tenure has been so incompetent and misguided that Syria was able to develop and deploy military grade Chemical Weapons without our knowledge until after the fact.
admitting that US Intelligence, DHS, NSA spying and the Patriot Act under Obama's tenure has been so incompetent and misguided that Syria was able to develop and deploy military grade Chemical Weapons without our knowledge until after the fact.
Originally posted by seabag
So Obama gets a free pass?
Originally posted by tadaman
reply to post by Flatfish
those are recent articles using recent language I have seen the media puke from one talking heads mouth into the anothers.
If it is such a historic weapons program....you should be able to find an older article.
How about before 2001........not a few days
just a lowly minion asking....