Under Pressure, Syria Tries to Show It Is Being Responsive on Foreign Fighters

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Syria has been trying to show it is tackling the problem of foreign fighters crossing into Iraq, and a state-run newspaper suggested Monday that authorities require visas of some Arab nationals.
ap.tbo.com...
news news and more news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think Assad is riding a tiger. On another thread, I speculated that he will do so much to help the Americans (to ward of their threat) and also help, or at least turn a blind eye, to the militant fundamentalists (for the same reason). Because Syria is still pretty much a closed, tightly controlled society, its hard to know what he is really up to.

I'm glad that they pointed out this bit of information:

Much of the criticism of Syria appears to be political. The foreign fighters issue has been a favorite Washington pressure point, even though U.S. military and intelligence officials in Iraq have long played down Syria's role. The insurgency, they have said, is overwhelmingly Iraqi. The foreign infiltrators have their choice of Iraq's six international borders, not just the frontier with Syria.

Military analysts say there are several U.S. incentives for blaming Syria. Depicting Iraq as a haven for foreign terrorists validates President Bush's claims that Iraq is the center of the global war on terrorism. And branding the insurgency as foreign-inspired hides the fact that many Iraqis actively oppose the U.S.-led invasion.

I've read somewhere that some of the people Syria arrested had entered Syria for a pilgrimage and were arrested on their way back out of the country but I can't find that article right now.