- The US plans to impose sanctions on Syria in accordance
with the Syria Accountability Act, US Secretary of State Colin Powell told
a Senate panel on Thursday. During the hearing, Powell also placed the
burden for moving peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians
on the Palestinians.
-
- Asked whether the US intends to begin implementation
of the Syria Accountability Act sometime in the near future, Powell told
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "Yes. We're examining now
what sections of the act we want to use."
-
- That the administration has been reviewing which sanctions
might be imposed within the next few months has been known in Washington.
-
- But it was the first time a senior US official stated
publicly that sanctions would definitely be imposed.
-
- The president has the ability to waive sanctions if he
deems it in US national security interests.
-
- The act, signed in December by President George W. Bush,
directs the president to ban US sales of weaponry and dual-use items ñ
items that could be used for civilian or military purpose ñ unless
Syria abandons its support for terrorism, removes its troops from Lebanon,
stops the flow of terrorists into Iraq, and abandons its pursuit of nonconventional
weapons.
-
- It also calls on the president to impose two or more
sanctions from a list of six: an export ban; ban on US businesses operating
in Syria; restrictions on Syrian diplomats in the US; exclusion of Syrian-owned
aircraft from US airspace; a reduction of diplomatic contacts with Syria;
or freezing of Syrian assets in the US.
-
- Powell said during the hearing that Syria had not yet
closed the offices of Palestinian terrorist groups or expelled Palestinian
terrorist leaders from Damascus as the US has demanded.
-
- He also said he could not confirm or deny whether a Syrian
plane had brought back weapons for Hizbullah from Iran after an earthquake-relief
mission there.
-
- Copyright 1995-2004 The Jerusalem Post
-
- http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/Printer&cid=1076559707378
-
|
