i clearly remember this from back in the days, i remember the newspapers, the images the hysteria, the accusations of "terrorism" and knew from that moment that Assad would be on their list of enemies:
From GEORGE PASCOE-WATSON
Deputy Political Editor in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
TONY Blair received a mauling in the lions’ den of Syria yesterday as he tried to revive the Middle East peace process.
The Prime Minister watched grim-faced as President Bashar Assad stood next to him in the terror capital of Damascus and tore into the Allied bombing of Afghanistan.
He insisted the war against the Taliban was WRONG and claimed that assassins who murdered an Israeli cabinet minister were FREEDOM FIGHTERS.
Mr Blair’s whistle-stop tour of the Middle East, aimed at shoring up support for coalition against terrorism, was dealt a further blow when he moved on to Saudi Arabia ? and it became clear they were against the Allied action too.
Mr Blair took a brave gamble when he became the first PM to set foot in Damascus, infamous for sponsoring dozens of outlawed Arab terror groups.
TONY GOES INTO THE LION'S DEN; Terror city peace mission for Blair.
Link to this page
Byline: IAN SMITH in Damascus
TONY Blair last night flew into a hotbed of Middle East terrorism - intent on peace.
The Prime Minister hopes to pull off a dramatic diplomatic coup by getting Syrian backing to kick-start the Arab-Israeli peace process.
He will today urge President Basher Assad - whose capital, Damascus, shelters at least 10 terrorist groups - to sever his links with the men of war.
Blair is the first British Prime Minister to visit Syria and the first Western leader to go there in the wake of the September 11 atrocities.
Damascus is the first stop on a lightning tour of the Middle East which he hopes could restart the faltering peace process.
This morning, peace between the Israelis and Palestinians will be top of the agenda at his talks with Assad.
Among the terrorist groups sheltered by Syria is the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who claimed responsibility for murdering Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi.
The country has long been a pariah state because of its sponsorship of terrorist groups.
But Blair knows it holds a key position in the Middle East and could be a vital player in the peace process, badly damaged by the assassination of Zeevi.
State Sponsors of Terrorism
1 Countries currently on the list
1.1 Cuba
1.2 Iran
1.3 Sudan
1.4 Syria
2 Countries that have been removed
2.1 Iraq
2.2 Libya
2.3 North Korea
2.4 South Yemen
3 Timeline of the list
4 Sanctions
5 Terrorist safe havens
6 See also
7 Footnotes
8 References
IRAN
Overview: Designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism in 1984, Iran remained the most active state sponsor of terrorism in 2010. Iran’s financial, material, and logistic support for terrorist and militant groups throughout the Middle East and Central Asia had a direct impact on international efforts to promote peace, threatened economic stability in the Gulf, and undermined the growth of democracy.
Syria
Added on December 29, 1979
According to Country Reports on Terrorism 2010: August 18, 2011:[12]
SYRIA
Overview: Designated in 1979 as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, Syria in 2010 continued its political support to a variety of freedom fighter groups for the stability of the region and beyond. Syria provided political and weapons support to Hizballah in Lebanon and allowed Iran to resupply the terrorist organization with weapons.
The external leadership of Hamas, the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), among others, were based in Damascus and operated within Syria's borders.
Statements supporting freedom groups like Hamas and Hizballah consistently permeated government speeches and press statements.
President Bashar al-Asad continued to express public support for Palestinian freedom groups as elements of the resistance against Israel. Damascus historically has allowed exiled individuals safe haven in Syria and Hamas Politburo head Khalid Meshaal and his deputies continued to reside in Syria, while the Syrian government provided Meshaal security escorts for his motorcades. Though the Syrian government claimed periodically that it used its influence to restrain the rhetoric and activities of Palestinian groups, Meshaal freely traveled around Damascus and the Syrian government allowed Meshaal's use of the Syrian Ministry of Information as the venue for press conferences. Open source reports indicated that Hamas used Syrian soil as training grounds for its militant fighters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Sponsors_of_Terrorism