WASHINGTON, Sept 16: The United States on Tuesday warned Syria that it would be “held accountable” for any attempts to acquire or market weapons of mass destruction and its links to extremist groups.

The White House put Syria on guard after a top State Department official said the Middle East country was a growing threat to international security and a concern to the United States.

“We’ve made it very clear to Syria what they need to do, that their behavior is unacceptable, and that they need to change their behavior,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

He accused Syria of aiding groups including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah and expressed US worries that Damascus was failing to close its border with Iraq to militants seeking to attack US-led forces.

“Their behavior is unacceptable, and states that harbor terror, as the president has made clear, will be held accountable,” the spokesman added.

John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, earlier told a Congress committee of Washington’s concerns.

“While there is currently no information indicating that the Syrian government has transferred WMD to terrorist organizations or would permit such groups to acquire them, Syria’s ties to numerous terrorist groups underlie the reasons for our continued anxiety,” he told the House of Representatives subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia.

Mr Bolton said Syria is among a small group of countries — with Iran, North Korea and Libya — that are considered a grave risk to US security.

He attacked Syria’s “hostile actions” toward the US-led forces in Iraq. “Syria allowed military equipment to flow into Iraq on the eve of and during the war. Syria permitted volunteers to pass into Iraq to attack and kill our service members during the war, and is still doing so,” Mr Bolton said.

“Although Damascus has increased its cooperation regarding Iraq since the fall of the Iraqi regime, its behavior during Operation Iraqi Freedom underscores the importance of taking seriously reports and information on Syria’s WMD capabilities.”

Mr Bolton said diplomatic measures to compel Damascus to curb its ties to extremist groups and curtail its efforts to acquire banned arms have not yet been exhausted.

He said the administration did not rule out tougher measures against Syria and other nations Washington considers rogue states.

“In short, if the language of persuasion fails, these states must see and feel the logic of adverse consequences,” he said.

Mr Bolton said the United States had been unable to confirm media reports that Saddam may have infiltrated weapons of mass destruction into Syria before his downfall. But he added that the reports are “cause for concern.”

Despite the long list of US grievances, the US official said, the White House does not support the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, being considered by the panel, which would toughen economic penalties and other sanctions against Damascus.

Administration officials say the bill is too rigid.

But Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairwoman of the subcommittee and a sponsor of the bill, said it was time for decisive action against Syria.

“I am deeply troubled that American companies continue to sign multi-billion dollear deals to invest in Syria’s oil and gas sector.

“Worse yet, they are reportedly joining hundreds of other types of US companies doing business in Syria,” said the Florida Republican. —AFP