DAMASCUS, 14 November 2003 — Syria said yesterday it remained open to dialogue with the United States despite the threat of economic and diplomatic sanctions from Washington, which accuses Damascus of backing “terrorism”.
“We do not close the door in the face of continuing dialogue with the American administration to solve pending issues, in line with international law,” Information Minister Ahmad Al-Hassan said in a statement published yesterday.
“Syria will not close the door on dialogue with the American administration, even if the hawks in that administration want to push for escalation in an unjustifiable way,” Hassan said in the statement carried by the Syrian press.
“The threats against Syria are not new, but they have intensified recently,” the minister said. He accused Washington of wanting to “extend its influence to replace the United Nations”. To face the threats, “we will stand by our national unity (...) and are working so that the United Nations resumes its role to resolve conflicts in a peaceful manner.”
Damascus would avoid a response “desired by those who imagine the choice of force is the means to realize their goals”, he added.
On Tuesday, the US Senate voted to impose sanctions on Syria, which the United States says is letting militants into Iraq to fight its troops there, aiding anti-Israeli militants and dominating neighboring Lebanon.
The measure, which follows a similar move in the House of Representatives, lets US President George W. Bush waive the penalties if he deems it in the national interest, and is the latest US step to boost pressure Damascus over “terrorism”. Syria said last week its relations with Washington had reached their lowest point in years because of US pressure over Iraq.
