Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al Shara says his government is not concerned with American threats to strike states that harbor terrorists, according to news agencies.
Such statements "are irresponsible and made with the aim of causing panic and some unjustified concerns in the region," Shara said in remarks broadcast by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera television station late on Wednesday.
The American threats were made after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and "we understand the subsequent emotional sentiments and the dangerous confusion that happened in the United States," Shara said.
Syria was among the first states to condemn the "ugly act" that targeted the US, "and we were deeply distressed with what happened at a time we were not threatened."
Shara expressed hope that the threats would not be carried out against any state in the region, asserting that this would create a disaster for the entire world.
Asked about US assurances that the allies would not attack Iraq, Syria, Lebanon or Libya, the minister said, "We do not count on the American assurances," adding that Washington, in the past, had given similar assurances concerning the Mideast peace process, but did not honor its commitments.
He alluded in particular to the theme of swapping land for peace in Palestine, which was the basis of the peace process that got underway in Madrid in 1991.
Syria is a haven for 10 Palestinian opposition factions, some of which are listed by the US as terrorist groups, including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
Syria also supports the Lebanese Hizbollah, another “terrorist” group seen by Arabs and Muslims as a national resistance movement — Albawaba.com
