Syria calls for end of `occupation' of Iraq, extends support to Iraqis
Syria calls for end of `occupation' of Iraq, extends support to Iraqis
Inal Ersan, Reuters, Damascus
Syria called on Thursday for an end to the "occupation" of neighboring Iraq, and maintained silence in the face of U.S. accusations that it is helping supporters of President Saddam Hussein to flee.
Syria "urges the international community to exert every possible effort to put an end to the occupation and manage the catastrophic situation that has resulted from the aggression," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
This was necessary, it said, "so that the people of Iraq can choose their government freely away from foreign intervention".
"In view of the dangerous circumstances facing the Arab nation, the Syrian Arab Republic reiterates its full commitment to the unity of Iraq -- land and people," the statement said.
There was no direct response to remarks by U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Wednesday that he had "scraps of intelligence saying that Syria has been cooperative in facilitating the move of the people out of Iraq and into Syria".
"We are getting scraps of intelligence saying that Syria has been cooperative in facilitating the move of the people out of Iraq and into Syria," Rumsfeld told a Pentagon news conference as triumphant American military forces were greeted by jubilant Iraqis in Baghdad.
"Then, in some cases they (Saddam supporters) stay there and find safekeeping there. In other cases, they move from Syria to some other places," Rumsfeld said when asked by reporters where supporters of Saddam had gone from Baghdad and elsewhere.
He later told reporters after a Congressional appearance that those fleeing into Syria might include "some family members" of Saddam. He gave no further details.
The secretary also repeated earlier U.S. charges that Syria had facilitated the movement of military equipment and people into Iraq to help fight U.S.-led forces that launched an invasion to overthrow Saddam nearly three weeks ago.
Syrian government officials were not available for comment. Imad Shuaibi, an analyst close to Damascus thinking, played down the significance of the U.S. comments, however.
"Syria is not worried. There is no chance that these allegations will turn into threats," he said. "I see no threat in this statement, it is even milder than previous ones."
Syria dismissed earlier accusations by Rumsfeld that military equipment was being transported through its territory to Iraq.
Rumsfeld then described the perceived Syrian support for Saddam's rule as a "hostile act".
Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara discussed developments in Iraq and the region by telephone with his Egyptian and Saudi counterparts and with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, said the official Syrian news agency without giving details.
The state-controlled Syrian media has ignored the collapse of Saddam's rule and focused instead on the chaos and hardship endured by Iraqis since U.S.-led forces invaded three weeks ago.
State-run radio, a government mouthpiece, distanced Damascus from Saddam on Thursday. "Syria was not, at any time, backing anyone but the Iraqi people," it said.
Syria has been a stern opponent of the U.S.-led war against its neighbor and former rival Iraq. It has often warned that the war would be catastrophic for the region.
Ties between Damascus and Washington have been strained by U.S. support for Israel and Syria's backing of Lebanese guerrilla group Hizbollah and radical Palestinian groups, considered by Washington to be terrorist.