CAIRO/DAMASCUS, 8 September 2007 — The Arab League said yesterday Israeli infiltrations of Syrian airspace were unacceptable and called into question Israel’s commitment to achieving regional peace. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry also said the Israeli violations added to tension in the region.
Syria accused Israel of bombing its territory on Thursday and said it could respond to the Jewish state’s “aggression and treachery.” Israel declined to comment on the charge by Syria, which said no casualties or damage were caused. The Syrian accusation was partly responsible for triggering a rise in world oil prices of more than $1.40 a barrel.
“These unacceptable maneuvers reveal negative Israeli intentions toward current discussions to achieve peace in the Middle East,” an Arab League statement quoted Secretary-General Amr Moussa as saying.
“These violations add only tension to the region at a time when all parties should work on pacifying the situation, not making it worse,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement said.
Russia said earlier the Syrian reports had caused “extreme concern” in Moscow and Iran accused Israel of attempting to spread insecurity in the region. The White House has declined to comment on the Syrian reports.
Syria lashed out at Israel again yesterday and threatened possible government action, a day after Damascus said its air defenses opened fire on Israeli aircraft that dropped “munitions” inside the country. Syria has stopped short of accusing Israel of purposely bombing its territory, and an Israeli spokesman has said he could not comment on military operations.
But a Syrian government newspaper warned yesterday that the country “possesses the means to respond ... so that it will deter Israel against proceeding with such unpredictable adventures.”
Analysts speculated such a foray could have been probing Syria’s defenses or monitoring long-range missile bases. Meanwhile, a Syrian official denied yesterday that Damascus had dropped plans to impose visa restrictions on Iraqis wanting to enter the country, as stated by the Iraqi prime minister’s office.
“I deny the reports coming from the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki relating to the cancellation of entry visas being imposed on Iraqis coming to Syria,” the Foreign Ministry official told AFP. Some 30,000 Iraqis fleeing violence in their own country are arriving each month in neighboring Syria, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Last Monday, Syria said it would impose visa restrictions on Iraqis from Sept. 10 in a bid to control the flood of refugees. It was also planning to permit only those Iraqis who were from the economic, commercial and scientific sectors to enter Syria.
Earlier yesterday, Maliki’s office in Baghdad claimed the visa requirement was being scrapped. “The dialogues held between the prime minister’s office and the Syrian brothers led to this decision to exempt Iraqis from getting a visa to enter Syria,” the office said.
