US to slap sanctions on Syria soon

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, March 08, 2004

US to slap sanctions on Syria soon

President George W. Bush may soon decide to impose some sanctions on Syria to punish Damascus for failing to address US concerns, agencies reports said Saturday.

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President George W. Bush may soon decide to impose some sanctions on Syria to punish Damascus for failing to address US concerns, agencies reports said Saturday.

Bush signed the "Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003" on Dec. 12 but noted that "my approval ofthe act does not constitute my adoption of the various statements of policy in the act as US foreign policy."

The bill, adopted by Congress to punish Damascus for its alleged ties with terrorist groups and efforts to seek weapons of mass destruction, bans any transfer of "duel-use" technology to Syria.

It also provides President Bush with a list of six other sanctions from which he is obliged to select at least two.

The options include a comprehensive ban on exports to Syria, prohibition of US investment in the country, a freeze on Syria's assets in the United States, limits on Syrian airline flights in the United States, a reduction on diplomatic contacts with Syria, and travel restrictions on Syrian diplomats in New York and Washington D.C.

The Bush administration has since repeatedly urged Damascus to address US concerns over its alleged support for terrorist groups and ambition for weapons of mass destruction so as to avoid the implementation of the sanctions.

The White House insists that no final decisions on the sanctions have been made yet but some US officials said that a decision was "imminent." Other reports said the sanctions could beimposed within weeks.

Source: Xinhua

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