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May 9, 2003/Iyar 7 5763, Vol. 55, No. 37
U.S. ponders Syrian promises, options
MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell may have heard what he wanted to on his recent visit to Syria, but few in Washington are putting much faith in Syrian President Bashar Assad's words.
Powell returned from Damascus this week with assurances from Assad that he would stop hosting terrorist organizations and would try to constrain the activities of groups like Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
"The clear message to President Bashar Assad was that there is a new situation in the region with the end of" Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq "and with the commitment on the part of the United States and President Bush to go forward" with the "road map" toward Israeli-Palestinian peace, Powell said May 4 on ABC's "This Week."
Assad "can be a part of positive developments in the region if he chooses to do so," he added.
But as he made the rounds of TV talk shows May 4, Powell made it clear that he does not anticipate real changes in Syria's behavior.
He repeatedly cited previous promises by Assad that had gone unfulfilled, such as agreeing to stop the flow of Iraqi oil through a Syrian pipeline in con-travention of U.N. sanctions on Iraq.
Indeed, even as Powell spoke, leaders of the terrorist organizations with head-quarters in Damascus denied that they had been ordered to close up shop.
By Powell's own admission, his trip changed the rules of the game in how the United States deals with Syria. When Assad was appointed president three years ago on the death of his father, Hafez Assad, he was welcomed with enthusiasm, trips by U.S. lawmakers and an eagerness on the part of U.S. officials to explore how Syria could become an important American ally in the Middle East.
But while Syria pledged its support for the United States in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks - Assad reportedly may have saved American lives by sharing intelligence information on Al-Qaida activities in Syria - U.S. officials have been frustrated by the direction of Syrian policy since then.
The tension reached its height during the recent war in Iraq, when Syria allowed military equipment and irregular fighters to stream into Iraq and may have offered shelter to top officials of Saddam's regime.
In addition, some reports claimed that Saddam had moved biological and chemical arms to Syria before the war so they wouldn't be detected by U.N. inspectors or seized by U.S. troops.
Many in Washington now believe that a policy of offering Assad inducements to change his behavior has not worked, and that it's time to take a tougher approach.
"We're in a situation right now where we want to see proof," one State Department official said.
The list of demands on Syria include ending support for terrorism, turning over Iraqi officials who took refuge in Damascus, cutting ties with the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah and stopping the pursuit and development of weapons of mass destruction.
The Bush administration also is pushing issues on Israel's agenda, such as pressuring Syria to end its occupation of Lebanon and seeking information on Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border.
One winner in the Syrian episode has been the Syrian Accountability Act, legislation that Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) has been pushing for years.
The bill would ban military and dual-use exports to Syria and ban financial assistance to U.S. businesses that invest in Syria.
It also would ask the president to impose two additional penalties from among several options, such as restricting the movement of Syrian diplomats in the United States, prohibiting U.S. exports to Syria or preventing U.S. businesses from investing and operating in Syria.
More than 70 lawmakers have signed on to the Syria bill. Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rick Santorum (R-Penn.) are expected to introduce a Senate version in coming days.
But sanctions aren't the only option at Powell's disposal if Syria does not comply.
If Syria complies with at least some of the U.S. demands, analysts say it might be taken off the State Department's list of states that sponsor terrorism, or it could be rewarded with U.S. pressure on Israel to restart peace talks over the Golan Heights.
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