BBC: US renews sanctions on Damascus

[allemand]

The United States has extended its economic sanctions against Syria and renewed its charge that Damascus is supporting terrorism.
President George W Bush accused Syria's government of undermining international efforts to stabilise Iraq and of continuing its occupation of Lebanon.

He said Syria continued to represent an "extraordinary threat" to the US. (...)

In a letter to the congressional leaders, Mr Bush said Syria poses a "continuing, unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the US".

He accused the Syrian government of "supporting terrorism, pursuing weapons of mass destruction and missile programmes, undermining United States and international efforts with respect to the stabilisation and reconstruction of Iraq, and with respect to Lebanon".

More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4520245.stm

Bush accused Syria of supporting terrorism, pursuing weapons of mass destruction, undermining efforts to stabilize Iraq and "continuing its occupation of Lebanon" and said this posed a "continuing, unusual, and extraordinary threat" to the United States.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050505/wl_nm/syria_bush_dc_1

[allemand]

1. Related news: Syria holding 137 Saudis headed for Iraq – paper

RIYADH – Syrian authorities are holding 137 Saudi nationals suspected of trying to cross into Iraq, where militants have been waging a two-year insurgency since the U.S. invasion, the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan said on Thursday. Citing unnamed sources it said the detainees included 62 in the Syrian city of Deir al-Zour and 25 in the town of Albukmal – both near the Iraqi border – as well as others held in jails run by security forces.

The newspaper also published the names of 17 men it said were among the 137 Saudi detainees. (...)

The 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq enraged many conservative Muslims in neighbouring Saudi Arabia and militant Web sites have urged Saudis to slip across the border and fight.

Saudi authorities have tightened security on their northern frontier but hundreds of militants are believed to have travelled to Syria and crossed into Iraq from there.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20050505-1009-iraq-syria-saudi.html