BEIRUT/DAMASCUS, 12 June 2003 — Washington’s top Middle East diplomat says Syria has failed to fulfill commitments to the United States to help rein in Palestinian groups, according to an interview published yesterday.

In remarks published in Arabic by the Lebanese daily As-Safir, William Burns accused Damascus of not cooperating with demands laid out during a visit last month by US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

“Until now we have not seen enough changes that allow us to say the Syrian regime is taking into account strategic developments in the region,” Burns was quoted as saying in an allusion to the US-led ouster of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

“We don’t understand how Syria can say it supports the peace process while continuing to openly support terrorist organizations that try with every means to destroy it,” said Burns, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs.

On a May 3 visit, Powell pressed the Syrian leadership to shut down the offices of Palestinian groups in Damascus opposed to the peace process as well as to cut support to Lebanon’s Shi’ite movement Hezbollah.

“Mr. Powell had however clearly explained the strategic situation and that Syria should take it into account,” Burns told As-Safir, according to a translation of his remarks from the Arabic.

“We don’t understand their attitude toward the offices of terrorist groups in Syria, nor the arms shipments to Hezbollah,” he added. Following intense US pressure on Syria, Palestinian groups in Damascus, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, promised to tone down their activities and have been largely silent.

But Damascus has denied lending support to Hezbollah and defended the movement as solely a Lebanese political party. In an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite channel Tuesday, President Bashar Al-Assad stressed the group was outside Syria’s control.

Damascus to Sign Pact With EU

Meanwhile, a member of the European Parliament told a press conference in Damascus yesterday that Syria and the European Union will soon sign an association agreement which they have been negotiating since 1998.

“The Syrian authorities have taken the political decision to sign very soon the association agreement which is in its final phase of negotiations,” Sami Nair, of the European Parliament’s External Affairs Commission, said.

Syrian and European officials are still finalizing “technical” issues linked to custom tariffs, said Nair before leaving for Lebanon following a four-day visit to Damascus.

“The Syrian authorities have confirmed their strategic will (to introduce) reforms in order to allow Syria (to become) a modern state,” he added.

An association agreement between Syria and the EU would attract much needed investment to modernize Syria’s infrastructure and stimulate its economy, which remains under heavy state control.