United States Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday said that Syria's help in the global war on terrorism would not absolve Damascus from American criticism for its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and support for Hizbullah.
Powell told the House International Relations Committee that despite Syria's assistance in the broader anti-terror war, Washington would continue to press the Syrian leadership on the other issues.
"They have been helpful in some aspects in the war against terrorism, and we are appreciative of that, but that has not kept us from engaging with them and being critical of their efforts with respect to supporting terrorist organizations," he said.
"We have also spent a lot of time with them discussing the need to keep things quiet on the northern border of Israel with respect to Hizbullah activities and those kind of terrorist activities directed toward Israel," Powell said.
"We know that Syria has an interest in various weapons of mass destruction," Powell added. (Albawaba.com)
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