Punitive measures if Syria supports Iraq: US congressman wants normal ties
DAMASCUS, April 26: Punitive measures could be taken against Syria for collaborating with the Iraqi regime, a United States congress man said Saturday, calling Syria’s ties with Iraq a “horrendous mistake in judgment”.
Tom Lantos, a Democratic from California and a member of the international relations committee, met on Saturday with Syrian President Bashar Assad in a one and a half hour meeting which he described as candid and extremely cordial.
Lantos said he would do his utmost to bring about a significant and dramatic improvement in Syrian-US relations.
“I told the president that Syria along with a number of countries.. made some horrendous mistakes in judgment in dealing with Saddam Hussein and in the period leading up to the war. I told him that Syria’s position in the US dropped dramatically as we saw the transfer of military equipment from and through Syria to Iraq and large numbers of Syrian fighters joining a doomed and dying regime in Iraq,” Lantos said.
“This was a very bad and historic mistake, and the time is long overdue to correct the course of Syria’s policy,” he added.
Lantos said he was very satisfied with the constructive spirit in which the Syrian president received his comments, although he did not anticipate an instant response to the long agenda the US had proposed to Syria.
“I am very hopeful that constructive steps will be taken in the near future to move things in this direction. The alternative is very negative, there’s a very severe, punitive piece of legislation pending in congress for Syria’s accountability act,” he said.
“The choice is entirely of Syria. We are ready to start a new chapter. But the key is in the president’s hands,” he indicated.
HEZBOLLAH: But Lantos said Syrian-US relations could improve only if Syria closed the offices of groups which Washington considered to be terrorist groups and suspend its support for the Hezbollah party.
“We find that there should not be headquarters of terrorist organisations in Damascus.. These should be closed if Syria is to embark on a new relationship with the US Secondly, the ongoing support and supply of Hezbollah military activities through the airport in Damascus must end,” he said.
He also called on Assad to withdraw Syrian troops from Lebanon.
Lantos said that his talks with Assad also tackled the upcoming visit to Syria of US Secretary of State Colin Powell.
He said that Powell’s visit was not a threat but would open up an opportunity for Syria to develop more constructive and more helpful relations with the US
“I would have to say that the actions of Syria leading up to the Iraq war were unhelpful.... we are resentful of this but we have no threats at the moment, we hope relations will improve,” he said.
Lantos indicated that the Syrian government was cooperating in apprehending some of the Iraqi regime’s agents, and praised the closure of Syrian-Iraqi borders.
President George W. Bush, accused Syria of sheltering members of Saddam’s deposed government, providing Iraq with war material and permitting foreign fighters to pass through Syria to join the war against the US-led coalition. Washington also accuses Damascus of developing chemical weapons. Such charges were denied by Syria.
Tensions appeared to have eased between the United States and Syria, with President Bush saying Saturday that Syria appeared to be heeding warnings against sheltering escaped members of Saddam’s regime.
Assad told two US congressmen Saturday that the country would not give asylum to suspected war criminals from Iraq and would expel any Iraqi who crossed the border. Republican congressmen Nick Rahall and Darrell Issa described the Syrian president as eager to deal with US concerns.—DPA
