DAMASCUS, 13 May 2004 — Syrian officials dismissed newly imposed US sanctions on Damascus over charges of supporting terrorism, saying yesterday they would have no impact on their country and its economy. But Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa called them “very serious”, while Syria’s foe and US ally Israel welcomed them.

Kuwait termed the sanctions “useless” and recalled Syria’s support for the coalition forged by former US President George Bush to free Kuwait from invasion mounted by Saddam Hussein.

“Syria took an active part in the formation of the coalition which liberated Kuwait from the Iraqi invasion and relations between our two countries are dictated by this unique position in history,” said Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Sabah.

The sanctions “will have no effect on the national economy or the agriculture sector”, Syrian Agriculture Minister Adel Safar told journalists here. “But we feel that the pressure being applied by the United States smacks of injustice and double standards being applied” in the Middle East.

He charged that Washington was “carrying out Israeli policy in the region”.

“The principle of imposing sanctions on Syria is a joke,” Speaker of the Syrian Parliament Mahmud Al-Abrash said in Amman on the sidelines of a meeting of his counterparts from Iraq’s neighbors.

“We are not in an elementary school for the teacher to come and impose sanctions on an undisciplined student. Syria is a country that has its dignity and respects international legislation,” he added.

US President George W. Bush imposed the new sanctions on Tuesday, charging that Damascus supported terrorism and failed to close its borders to insurgents fighting US forces in Iraq. The sanctions include a near-blanket ban on US exports to Syria and the power to freeze Syrian assets in the United States, the White House said.

That prohibition is expected to hit US companies, particularly oil firms, working in Syria.

Prime Minister Mohammed Naji Otri said late Tuesday the sanctions were “unjust and unjustified”, adding that they “will not have any affect on Syria.” He called on Washington to “reverse its decision and not provoke problems between the two countries.”

Moussa told reporters in Cairo, “This decision is very, very serious. It adds to the negative steps taken by the United States and its negative vision of relations with Arabs, from Palestine to Syria through Iraq, and is very regrettable.”

“We would like the United States to reconsider its relations and behavior with Arab states and say it is not essential to provoke Arab animosity,” he added.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said, “Our position is that threats and the imposition of sanctions will not resolve problems and that differences should be resolved by dialogue.”

Syria’s official news agency said the sanctions were applied “under the influence of the Zionist lobby” and would not solve the Middle East’s problems.

What was required was “constructive dialogue based on mutual respect and common interests,” Sana said, adding that “the US decision lacks credibility and material proof — it in no way serves the interests of the American people.”

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said the measures were “new evidence of the partiality of the US administration and its historic submission to Israel,” state television reported.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom called the sanctions “an important decision that demonstrates US determination to wage an unyielding war not only against terrorist organizations but also against states that support them.”

British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s spokesman said Britain shared US concerns that Syria had links to weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, but indicated it would not be applying its own sanctions.