US warned over Syria stance
Russia and the European Union have urged the United States to show restraint in its dealings with Syria, which is accused of developing chemical weapons and helping fugitive Iraqi officials.
The appeals came after the US said it might impose economic and diplomatic sanctions against Damascus if President Bashar al-Assad failed to take what it called the right decisions.
The US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, said there was a new situation in the Middle East following the removal of Saddam Hussein, and he hoped all nations in the region would review their past behaviour.
The Americans say Syria is a "terrorist state" - it is included on the US State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Russia says the US statements can only aggravate the situation and complicate a settlement in Iraq after the war.
The Russian views were echoed by the French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin, who said dialogue was essential.
And the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, urged the US to tone down its statements about Syria, saying it was time to reduce the tension.
At the White House, the presidential spokesman, Ari Fleischer, repeatedly dodged the question of whether Syria might be next for US military action - intentional ambiguity clearly designed to put the frighteners on Damascus, says the BBC's Rob Watson.
And US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Syria had carried out a chemical weapons test in the past 12 to 15 months.
However, UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw denied suggestions that Syria was "next on the list" to be targeted over alleged weapons of mass destruction.
He stressed, however, that Syria must answer some "important questions".
Syrian denial
Syria has strongly denied the US allegations.
A Syrian foreign ministry spokeswoman, Bouthana Shaaban, insisted that "the only country in the region which has chemical, biological and nuclear weapons is Israel".
And the fact that a senior Iraqi official had been found near the Iraqi-Syrian border was "evidence that Syria didn't let him in, and didn't let any member of the family in or anybody of the regime in," she told the BBC.
"We never had friendly relations with them and certainly none of them even applied to come to Syria," she said.
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair told Parliament he had received an assurance from Syrian President Assad that no fleeing Iraqi officials would be allowed into Syria.
"He assured me that they would interdict anybody who's crossing over the border from Iraq into Syria," he said. "I believe they are doing that."
But according to a top Iraqi general who switched sides during the war, Syria has given refuge to members of Saddam Hussein's regime.
General Ali al-Jajjawi - former Republican Guard commander in the northern city of Mosul - said Saddam's Baath Party deputy Izzat Ibrahim and other top figures had fled to Syria shortly before the city fell last Friday.
Fraught relations
Ties between the US and Syria have long been strained by US support for Israel and Syria's backing of the Lebanese group Hezbollah and radical Palestinian groups, which Washington considers "terrorist".
President Bush has warned Syria against harbouring fugitives from Saddam Hussein's entourage and urged it to co-operate with the US-led coalition.
The US has also repeatedly accused Syria of the "hostile act" of supplying Iraq with night vision goggles and other military equipment, fuelling already fraught relations between the two nations.
US intelligence has long suspected Syria of having a well-developed chemical weapons programme as well as long-range missiles.
Some US experts believe Syria's programme started in earnest after clashes with Israel in 1982, with two chemical weapons plants established by 1984 to produce significant amounts of nerve gases such as Sarin and VX.
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Published: 2003/04/15 00:53:13 |
