DAMASCUS, 21 December 2004 — A Syrian MP said yesterday that he had been refused entry to the United States upon arrival in Washington earlier this month.
On Dec. 13, Mohammed Habash flew into Dulles International Airport, where US airport authorities refused to accept his entrance visa, which he said was valid until 2006 and issued by the US Embassy in Damascus.
Habash said he was informed that new regulations for Syrians traveling to the United States require “authorization from the US Secretary of State”.
As director of the Islamic Center of Studies in Damascus, which supports dialogue with the West, Habash is a frequent visitor to the United States. He criticized his treatment as “inappropriate” for an MP.
“They seem to completely ignore diverse schools of thought. We represent an open Islamist current, we reject violence and we do not justify the terrorist acts happening in Iraq,” he said.
In May, Washington slapped sanctions against Damascus, accusing Syria of bankrolling terrorism and trying to develop weapons of mass destruction.
