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WASHINGTON, Oct 12: The United States said on Thursday it could take military action against countries like Syria later in its campaign against terrorism if they do not comply with the demands of Washington and its allies.
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage also told reporters the targets in the campaign include all groups that threaten the interests of the United States and US allies.
In a later news conference, President George W. Bush said the United States took Syrian offers of help in the fight against terrorism seriously but wanted to see results, not just words.
“The Syrians have talked to us about how they can help in the war against terrorism. We take that seriously and we’ll give them an opportunity to do so,” Bush said.
But he added:”I’m a performance-oriented person. I believe in results.”
The United States says it is concentrating for the moment on its attacks on the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda organization, which it blames for the Sept. 11 suicide attacks on New York and Washington.
“Ones (organizations) that are trying to hurt allied and US interests, I think that’s in the main where we will concentrate next,” said Armitage. “We know who has global reach and is a threat to the United States and our allies.”
Asked what the consequences would be if countries like Syria do not meet US expectations, he said: “The consequences might be whatever the coalition finds worthy and it runs the gamut from isolation to financial investigations, all the way up through possibly military action.”
The United States has Syria on its list of “state sponsors of terrorism” because it hosts Lebanese and Palestinian organizations that attack US ally Israel.
Syria says the international community should distinguish between terrorism and groups fighting to free occupied land.
SYRIA OUT OF COALITION: After the attacks on Sept 11, Secretary of State Colin Powell called Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara to sound out his views on joining an alliance against the culprits. But Armitage indicated Washington was disappointed.
“I don’t consider Syria part of the coalition. They’ve indicated from time to time they’d like to perhaps take part and then they seem to back up a little bit.
“This has been at best right now an occasion to try to open the eyes of Syria,” Armitage said.
An American Jewish leader who had talks with senior Bush administration officials on Thursday told reporters his group has heard that al Qaeda may overlap with the Palestinian group Hamas and the Syrian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.
David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, said: “They said terrorist groups cannot operate in a vacuum. They can only survive if they are given a haven, refuge and support. That comes from sovereign countries.”
“Phase two includes persuading those terrorist havens to reconsider their support for terrorism, to recalculate the cost-benefit analysis,” he added.
Armitage, an old friend of Powell, was also dubious about the response of Sudan, another country on the State Department list of “state sponsors.”
“Sudan has made some pretty good gestures but if they’re going to be in the coalition, then you have to generally share values and share some common features,” he said.
Sudan has arrested some suspected extremists and provided the United States with some intelligence information about associates of Osama bin Laden, who lived there from 1991 to 1996.—AFP
