DAMASCUS, 14 May 2004 — Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara urged Washington to open a dialogue with his government to address its concerns, saying the unilateral sanctions imposed on Tuesday were in nobody’s interest.

Meanwhile, officials and newspapers in other countries of the region attacked the sanctions, with the head of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council warning they could cause instability. Damascus wants a “constructive and objective dialogue to settle outstanding issues” with the United States, Shara said in comments published yesterday by the London-based Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat.

The sweeping sanctions introduced by US President George W. Bush did “not serve the interests of the American people,” he said. “It is through a constructive and objective dialogue that we will settle the problems of the Middle East and not through a policy of pressure, threats and sanctions.”

Syrian President Bashar Assad also stressed the importance of dialogue in a meeting with visiting US journalists, the official news agency SANA said yesterday. “Dialogue is important”, it quoted Assad as saying when he explained Syria’s views on US policy in the Middle East to the 19 journalists from US media.

Bush imposed the sanctions on Tuesday, charging that Damascus supported terrorism and failed to close its borders to insurgents fighting US-led 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, measures that are expected to hit US companies, particularly oil firms, working in Syria.

GCC Secretary-General Abdulrahman Al-Attiyah said the decision was “unacceptable and does not serve stability in the region,” in a statement released at GCC headquarters in Riyadh. It was “astonishing” that Bush should impose sanctions on Syria on the pretext that it backs terrorism when Damascus has repeatedly voiced its opposition to terrorist acts, he said.

“The policy of imposing sanctions on Arab countries cannot be conducive to stability in the region, but will increase tension,” warned the head of the alliance.

“It is Israel and the government of (Ariel) Sharon that should be subjected to sanctions because of their ongoing attacks against the defenseless Palestinian people and continuous violations of international norms and laws,” Attiyah said, urging Washington to reconsider its decision.

The press in Lebanon, which is politically and militarily dominated by Syria, said the United States should be sanctioned due to its wars and occupation of other countries.

“Had there been the least minimum of justice in this world, all the free countries would have drafted laws to impose sanctions on the United States and Israel for their behavior and the weapons of destruction that they have while fighting against others”, the daily Al-Liwaa said in an editorial. It said “the sanctions will fill the hearts and minds of the Arabs with more hatred and anger for the policy of America.”

Al-Mustaqbal daily said the sanctions were an attempt by Bush to “blame others for his failure in Iraq.” As-Safir noted that the European Union has “ignored the sanctions ... and decided to go ahead with a policy of economic cooperation with Damascus where a delegation of senior EU officials is expected next week.”