In an article in the Syrian government daily Teshreen, former Syrian information minister Dr. Mahdi Dakhlallah wrote that the U.S. intelligence agencies were behind the 9/11 attacks, and that their aim in this was to pave the way for implementing a previously readied plan to invade Afghanistan and Iraq.
Following is a translation of the main points of Dakhlallah's article.[1]
"On the Seventh Anniversary of 9/11, The Truth is Still Not Unequivocal, And the Mystery Remains"
"On the seventh anniversary of the September 11 events, the truth is still not unequivocal, and the mystery remains. The immediate and simple explanation according to the official version of the events is, to this day, the object of criticism and sometimes even of derision.
"The world may have to wait 25 years for the truth to come to light and for the secret documents and information about what happened to be presented. But who cares about the truth?
"What is important, always, is the use of the events in order to carry out a strategy planned in advance – which raises the possibility that the injured party itself carried out the deed, especially if the matter concerns a country with great strategic interests such as the U.S.
"Many are the instances of violence and terror in the land of Uncle Sam, and no one knows what is behind them. Who killed President Kennedy? To date, no one knows the truth. Who is behind the Oklahoma [City] bombing? Who is behind the many instances of violence that made possible [the implementation of] aggressive strategies and policies prepared in advance?...
"Today too, there are still those who seriously raise [the possibility] that American intelligence agencies were behind the September 11 events – whether directly by means of facilitating Al-Qaeda's plot or [indirectly] by means of involving [Al-Qaeda] in the events."
"The Mere Fact That These Questions Are Being Raised Means That There Is Doubt Regarding the Official Version [Of Events]"
"French journalist Thierry Meyssan was the first to raise this possibility and to try to prove it. [The Syrian government] newspaper Al-Ba'th published [Meyssan's] book in serial form in early 2002. After that, this possibility was also raised by Michael Moore in his famous film 'Fahrenheit 9/11.' Likewise, recently one of the Arab satellite channels showed a documentary film called 'September 11 – Another Story.'
"The mere fact that these questions are being raised means that there is doubt regarding the official version [of events], [even] without real proof that American intelligence agencies were involved [in the attacks]. But a logical analysis of the instrumentalist 'pragmatic' philosophy that leads the thinking of American politicians reinforces the possibility that the American establishment is involved in this act of terror."
"These Plans Were Ready and Prepared [In Advance] – And All That Was Needed Was to Find a Pretext to Begin Their Immediate Implementation"
"The American instrumental approach is based on the Machiavellian principle of 'the end justifies the means.' The aim was to invade Afghanistan... to get close to the Caspian Sea gas and oil pipelines, and then to invade Iraq and to fix the poles of the tent of unipolarity in the ground.
"These plans were ready and prepared [in advance] – and all that was needed was to find a pretext to begin their immediate implementation. Indeed, the shock following 9/11 created an American public opinion that supported the war, aggression, and madness of our time, to which Afghanistan, Iraq, and all global stability fell victim.
"No one believes that it was possible to invade Afghanistan and Iraq in the same way and so fast had it not been for the 9/11 attacks. That's how it always is: the end justifies the means."
[1] Teshreen (Syria), September 10, 2008.