Syria Warns Israel It Will Defend Itself

Saturday October 11, 2003 3:01 PM


By BASSEM MROUE

Associated Press Writer

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Syria 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 on Sunday, saying it was a
training camp for the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad. The
group had claimed responsibility for a suicide 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 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.''













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