Syria: We Will Defend Ourselves
Saturday, October 11, 2003
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria (search) said Saturday that relations with the United States were deteriorating because of an Israeli airstrike, and warned it has the right to defend itself if Israel attacks again.
The Foreign Ministry comment came nearly a week after Israeli warplanes bombed a camp outside Damascus (search) on Sunday, saying it was a training camp for the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad (search). The group had claimed responsibility for a homicide attack in Israel the day before that left 19 people dead.
"Syria has the right to exercise its right to self-defense ... in all available ways," Syrian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Bushra Kanafani told reporters in Damascus.
She declined to elaborate on what means Syria would use, saying self-defense has different forms.
Kanafani also said relations between Syria and the United States were worse than they had been for years because of U.S. support of Israel.
Syria presented a motion to the U.N. Security Council (search) calling on the world body to condemn Israel, but the council postponed a vote. The United States has warned it would veto any motion that did not also condemn the suicide bombing.
"When the United States says that Israel is defending itself when it attacks an abandoned civilian target under untrue pretexts and threatens to use its (U.N.) veto against condemnation ... this will have negative results on relations," she said.
Kanafani said the camp targeted by Israel was abandoned by Palestinian militants years ago.
Tensions have been rising in recent months between the United States and Syria, mainly over Iraq. The United States says Syria lets insurgents slip across the border to fight coalition soldiers.
Kanafani denied those claims, saying it is difficult to control such a long border. She hinted that Syria could help calm the situation in Iraq.
"Syria has many friends in Iraq and ... we can play a constructive role in the advancement in the chaotic situation in Iraq," she said. "Cutting the dialogue with Syria, accusing Syria of raising problems through people going through the border is not going to help our constructive role in Iraq."
On Wednesday, the U.S. Congress gave preliminary approval for sanctions to be imposed on Syria, a move that Western diplomats said could lead to more damaging U.S. measures. The Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act accuses Syria of sponsoring terrorists, seeking weapons of mass destruction and occupying Lebanon with more than 20,000 troops.
Kanafani said "those who are concerned about punishing Syria in the United States are specific groups who work for Israel first and for the interest of America after that."
The measure itself will not have much impact on Syria, Kanafani said, adding that U.S.-Syrian trade is less than $400 million a year. Syria, which hosts leaders of Palestinian militant groups, is already under several U.S. restrictions because Washington considers it a sponsor of terrorism.
Kanafani said Syria wants "a constructive and objective dialogue that takes into consideration our interests and national interests and this is what we are seeking if this is possible with the current American administration."
She said the United States "seems to want to change the world on its model ... but interfering in domestic problems is not accepted." |
