WASHINGTON, 13 September 2005 — The US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, fired a strong warning to Syria yesterday over help that Washington accuses Damascus of giving to radical groups in Iraq.
“Our patience is running out with Syria,” Khalilzad told a press conference. When asked how the United States could respond, he said “all options are on the table,” including military.
“I would not like to elaborate more, they should understand what I mean,” he added.
The United States believes that Iraqi Sunnis are refusing to agree a proposed constitution because of threats from Sunni extremists who have infiltrated Iraq from Syria, where they have training camps, Khalilzad said. “Syria has to decide what price it’s willing to pay in making Iraq success difficult. And time is running out for Damascus to decide on this issue,” the ambassador warned.
The former US ambassador to Kabul also warned that Iraq could become worse than Afghanistan under the Taleban if extremists like Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, Al-Qaeda’s frontman in Iraq, were to prevail.
