US officials were unmoved by accusations regarding the untidiness of 'freedom'. Instead, the hawks in the Bush administration started preparing for the next target. Khaled Dawoud reports from Washington In seeking to provide a justification for the widespread looting and violence in Baghdad and major Iraqi cities, US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld offered a highly original definition of freedom, stunning local and international observers alike. Referring to the Iraqi mobs, Rumsfeld said on Friday, "They know what they're doing. And they're doing a terrific job. And it's untidy. And freedom's untidy. And free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things." For Rumsfeld and other members of the Bush administration, the criminals who looted Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk with the tacit consent of US troops were "taking their feelings out" against former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's regime and decades of repression. President Bush, told reporters that Iraq was experiencing a transitional period, and promised to work on restoring order. "You know, it's amazing," Bush said on Sunday. "The statue [of Saddam Hussein] comes down on Wednesday, and the headlines start to read, 'Oh there's disorder'. Well, no kidding. It is a situation that is chaotic because Saddam Hussein created the conditions for chaos. He created the conditions of fear and hatred, and it's going to take a while to stabilise the country." On Monday, and after the fall of Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, a senior Pentagon official declared that "major combat operations are over." Pentagon officials said they were pulling out two aircraft carriers from the Gulf. Fears that the Bush administration, emboldened by its victory, would expand its conquest to include other Arab countries in the region were heightened following a series of statements it made that were extremely critical of Syria and its government. The campaign was launched by Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, who directly accused Damascus of providing the former Iraqi regime with military equipment and allowing Arab volunteers, including many Syrians, to cross the border into Iraq to fight against invading US troops. However, criticism against Syria was given further weight when President Bush personally criticised Damascus for assisting the former Iraqi regime, and, more importantly, accused it of possessing chemical weapons. "I think we believe there are chemical weapons in Syria," Bush said. Careful not to confirm Arab fears that the US war against Iraq was only the first step in reshaping the Middle East, mainly to benefit Israel, Bush did not to threaten military action against Syria. Asked directly if he would consider such an option, Bush told reporters on Sunday, "No, Syria just needs to cooperate with us." He added Syria should not "harbour any Ba'athists, any military officials and people who need to be held to account for their tenure [in Iraq under the former regime]." Pressed on the message the war in Iraq sends to countries like Syria, Iran and North Korea, Bush said, "I think that people gotta know that we are serious about stopping weapons of mass destruction." But he emphasised, "each situation requires a different response." US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Monday that Washington would consider economic and diplomatic sanctions against Syria if it is proven that senior Iraqi officials crossed the border into the country. "With respect to Syria, of course we will examine possible measures of a diplomatic, economic or other nature," he said after a meeting with Kuwaiti State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohamed Al-Sabbah. Told that Syria has denied possessing chemical weapons, Rumsfeld was firm in making the charge. "We have seen a chemical weapons test in Syria over the past 12, 15 months," he said on Monday. The US secretary of defence then reiterated long-standing US accusations that Syria supported so-called terrorist groups, namely Lebanon's Hizbullah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas groups. Clearly seeking to remind the Syrian government that the world's sole superpower has many means at its disposal with which to try to force Damascus to change its policies, Rumsfeld repeatedly referred to "Syria's occupation of Lebanon" in a series of interviews he gave on Sunday. In a news conference on Tuesday, Rumsfeld announced that the US planned to shut off an oil pipeline running from Iraq to Syria. Washington insisted that pumping Iraqi oil outside United Nations supervision provided the former Iraqi regime with illegal income. The rash of warnings directed at Syria alarmed even Washington's closest allies. British and Spanish premiers both affirmed there were no plans to attack Syria, although they expressed support for the US view that former Iraqi officials should not be given refuge by Damascus. In a briefing to foreign journalists on Tuesday Powell said, "We have concerns about Syria. We have let Syria let know of our concerns. We also have concerns about some of the policies of Iran. We have made the Iranians fully aware of our concerns." He added, "but there is no list. There is no war plan right now to go attack someone else, either for the purpose of overthrowing their leadership or for the purpose of imposing democratic values." Several senior administration officials agreed that the United States does not have plans to attack Syria, at least "right now", as Secretary Powell stated. Instead, they would be satisfied with what US State Department officials described as a "demonstration effect". The easy fall of Iraq and the massive US fire power used are expected to send Arab countries, particularly those known for their anti-US stands, a clear message that it is time to change their policies. "We hope that Syria understands now that there is a new environment in the region with the end of the regime of Saddam Hussein, and that Syria will reconsider its policies of past years and understand that there are better choices it can make than the choices it has made in the past," Powell told reporters on Tuesday.
