Congress proposes to Bush give Syria one last chance

The democratic Congressman Gary Echerman called on the US president George W. Bush to give Syria one last chance to change its policies and to propose a "comprehensive and detailed" initiative in which he explains how Syria can change its behavior in a way that leads to improving relations with the US.

In a message he had sent to Bush, he said that by the end, if there will be no quick responses from Damascus on its intention to change its behavior, to use several authorities assigned to you according to valid laws ( like Syria Accountability Act and restoring back the Lebanese sovereignty), to impose painful economic and political sanctions on Syria.

The message which dates February 12, comes in the context of the attempt made by Congress members who were behind " the Accountability Act" to demand the White House to impose sanctions on Syria, including parliamentarian Eliot Engle and Senate member Barbara Boxer.

Echerman criticized the contradictory remarks sent by the US to Syria like the announcement made by the government to appoint ambassador Margaret Scobey the same day the US congress approved Syria's accountability law. He repeated accusation against Syria to that it had provided Hizbulah with weapons carried by planes which had transported to Iran humanitarian supplies. He also accused Syria to continued obstruction of the American policy in Iraq including the release of the Iraqi assets.