Bush escalates pressure against Syria
Syria-USA, Politics, 2/18/2005

The US President George W. Bush has escalated his pressures on Syria demanding it to withdraw from Lebanon, according to UN Security Council resolution 1559 and to make sure that gunmen that sneak from its lands to Iraq not to be used in support of what he called international terrorism.

In a speech he delivered on the occasion of investing ambassador John Negro Ponty as a director for the American intelligence, Bush considered that Syria moves in a contradictory direction of what he called democratic changes in the Greater Middle East.

He refrained from accusing Syria of assassinating the former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri but stressed his country's support for making an international investigation into the assassination.

The American president considered that the step of calling up Washington's ambassador in Damascus Margaret Scobey indicates that relations between the two sides are not proceeding forward, adding that he will discuss with the Europeans in his next tour to Europe means of convincing the Syrian officials of taking decisions he described as "rational." Bush called on the Syrian government to hand over what he called those who support former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein who might be hidden in Syria.

Meantime, the statements made by the US President George W. Bush towards Syria created different reactions in the circles of the US congress. Republicans and Democrats at the US Senate including Hillary Clinton called on Friday for imposing tougher commercial sanctions against Syria.

However, The democratic senator Robert Bird fro West Virginia and an opposor for the war on Iraq said that the US administration entered the war under false pretext in Iraq, noting that the American administration is pushing the Americans on the same path with Syria and Iran when overwhelming armed conflict came the expense of diplomacy.

Previous Stories:
  Damascus: Direct messages from Rice to the Syrian leadership   (2/17/2005)
  Further American measures expected against Syria   (2/16/2005)
  Rice summons the American ambassador in Damascus   (2/16/2005)

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