Washington towards imposing sanctions against Syria
Syria-USA, Politics, 5/1/2004

The US has announced it might declare shortly imposing sanctions on Syria, according to a decision approved with the aim to punish Damascus, which Washington accuses of supporting terrorism.

The spokesman for the White House said that there is a progress concerning Syria's accountability law, noting the concern of the American administration over the situation of the Syrian borders with Iraq. He said that these fears require a Syrian move and Damascus has to take these fears seriously and to work for eliminating them.

The US President George W. Bush signed Syria's accountability law in the mid of December 2003. The law which was approved by the US congress earlier and permits imposing political and economic sanctions against Damascus.

The imposed law calls for imposing weapons embargo on Damascus and items of dual use ( military and civilians) and not to give any financial aids to be used in developmental projects in Syria.

The law also demands the US President George W. Bush to take at least two measures from a punishment measures list including trade exchange banning between the two countries, preventing American businessmen from working in Syria, imposing restrictions on the move of the Syrian diplomats in the USA and preventing Syrian planes from landing in the American lands or flying in its airspaces.

The sanctions also include belittling diplomatic contacts between the two countries and freezing the Syrian assets in the US and embargoing inhuman exports and investment.

The law permits the American president a wider authority to suspend imposition of the sanctions for purposes relating to national security.

Upon its ratification by the Congress, the American law was met by wide- scale Arab condemnation and it is considered as not contributing to achieving stability in the region nor in improving the American- Syrian relations.

Previous Stories:
  Syrian rejection to send forces to the borders with Iraq   (4/21/2004)
  Marines forces reinforcement on the border with Syria, Washington calls on Damascus to halt sneaking, religious clerics support al-Sader   (4/17/2004)
  US congratulates Syria on Evacuation Day; urges help   (4/16/2004)

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