Perle Maneuvers U.S. into Syrian Phase of "A Clean Break"

WASHINGTON, April 19- Richard Perle, member of the study group that authored the"A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm" (ACB) strategic plan for Israel, has increased efforts to fully implement the Syrian phase with U.S. armed forces.

"I would hope that Congress would take a look at helping those who want to free Syria from the tyrannical rule of the Ba'ath Party," said Perle on April 17.

?A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm? (ACB) was authored by a group of policy advisors to Israel. Subsequently, nearly all members became influential pro-Israel policy makers operating within U.S. government, media, and academic circles. Now that ACB policies such as toppling the government of Iraq and discrediting Arab governments are now almost fully complete, work has recently intensified to strike Israel's other regional rivals while overwhelming U.S. forces are still in the region.

Perle and other ACB operatives and allied administration officials have intensified the volume and repetition scathing criticism against Syria to sell this portion of the plan to the American public.

Perle, a member of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board called for the U.S. Congress to pass a "Syrian Liberation Act" modeled on the 1998 law that made regime change in Baghdad official U.S. policy, the Washington Times reported Wednesday, April 16.

Perhaps referring to the wide range of covert warefare tactics in ACB, Perle mentioned "There are many ways to fight these battles,"

"I would hope that Congress would take a look at helping those who want to free Syria from the tyrannical rule of the Ba'ath Party," the secular ruling party dominated by Syrian -President Bashir Assad, Perle said.

Perle has also made efforts to shore up the "Peace for Peace" strategy outlined in ACB by insisting that the roadmap timing and architects were suspect. This strategy insists that territory occupied by Israel should not be relinquished, but rather peace itself was the reward for affected populations.

The Roadmap for peace between Israeli and Palestinians, drafted by the U.S., the U.N., Russia and the E.U. envisages the establishment of a Palestinian state by 2005, to exist side by side with a secure Israel. Bush said the roadmap will be distributed when Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas forms his government next week.

Perle has said the Roadmap was drafted by politically weak parties, citing the U.N. and Russia as examples. As Perle outlined in "A Clean Break", he believes that balance of power must be the main determinant of legitimacy. Israel must "transcend" the territorial issues and regional rivals, and will only engage in peace negotiations with the Palestinians for appearance, not substance. As stated in ACB:

"Israel can now embrace negotiations, but as means, not ends, to pursue those ideals and demonstrate national steadfastness."

For a full report on the implemention of ACB policies by the U.S., see: http://www.irmep.org/Policy_Briefs/3_27_2003_Clean_Break_or_Dirty_War.html