LA Times Quotes Syrian Conspiracy Mongering As "IAEA Report", Blames Israel For Syrian Uranium Traces
In addition to being an "often-ridiculous" pro-Syrian hack who writes grandiously about how Ahmadinejad is questioning "the West’s taboos on questioning the Holocaust," LAT staff writer Borzou Daragahi is also something of a shameless mouthpiece for Assad's propaganda machine:
An investigation into a remote Syrian site bombed by Israel 14 months ago has provided no conclusive answers so far, but sparked speculation about the source of trace amounts of radioactive material found at the site...But no one could explain the presence of a "significant number" of uranium particles "produced as a result of chemical processing," the report said. Diplomats first reported the existence of the uranium last week. Syrian officials have said that not even U.S. officials claim that they were already operating a plutonium plant. "The only explanation for the presence of these modified uranium particles is that they were contained in the missiles dropped from the Israeli planes," the report said. But officials close to the IAEA said the uranium samples found were not the depleted type used in some weapons and have few practical applications. Nor do they match any Syrian uranium samples previously declared to the IAEA. Nor are they compatible with the reactor suspected of being planned for the site. The agency plans to press Israel to release information about the weapons used.
Get that? That bottom block is the last five paragraphs of the article: the IAEA's report said that the uranium came from Israel, IAEA sources say it could not have come from Syria, and further IAEA investigations will focus on Israel. Which seems odd because all of the other reports I've seen indicated that the report as brutal as an "inconclusive" report can be. The only people I've seen blaming Israel in those terms are the desperate conspiracy mongers from the Syrian regime who were called upon to account to the IAEA.
It turns out Daragahi's quote isn't an IAEA conclusion at all. It comes from the background chronology where the report is quoting - not coincidentally - the letter from the Syrian regime where they were called upon to account to the IAEA:
A. Chronology of Events... In a letter dated 11 November 2008, Syria confirmed its compliance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (the NPT) and provided the following clarifications:... • "The only explanation for the presence of these modified uranium particles is that they were contained in the missiles that were dropped from the Israeli planes onto the building to increase the destructive power. Based on this, we hope that the Agency will verify the nature of the materials used in these missiles."
I for one am very impressed with the LAT's multiple layers of factcheckers and editors.
The problem isn't even the shoddy journalism or straightforward inaccuracy. It's how the last five paragraphs could be so obviously wrong without anybody raising an eyebrow. You don't have to be a pro-Israel partisan to sense that there's amiss with "the only explanation..." Diplomats don't write that way. Investigators certainly don't think that way. It just doesn't sound right.
Except if you're spending your time wallowing in the swamps of anti-Israel partisanship - then something like that might sound reasonable. If you're in the type of community where it's natural to scapegoat Israel in absolute terms for the depth and breadth of Middle East instability - then that passage might not trigger alarm bells. So it might actually be kind of interesting to know how many LA Times staffers got do the end of that article, tilted their head a little, and thought "yeah, seems about right." (via CAMERA)
References:
* The Syrian Memo and Order of Operations [Across The Bay]
* LA Times Shills for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [LGF]
* IAEA's Syria report brings more speculation over radioactive traces [LAT]
* Bombed Syrian facility had uranium traces, report says [WaPo]
* Syria blames IAF for uranium traces [JPost]
* Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the Syrian Arab Republic1 [Global Security]
* Los Angeles Times Distorts IAEA Report [CAMERA]
Previously:
* Kausfiles: "I Have Run Out Of Ways Of Saying That The LAT Is Pathetic Stuffy..."
* Pics And Video From The LA Times "Free The Tape" Protest (UPDATED: 2nd Video, 25 Pic Gallery Added)
* AFP: "Israel Bombed Syria", Syria: "No They Didn't" (Plus: Is The LA Times Fabricating Anti-Israel Sources?)
