Syria sees chance to improve ties with US

DAMASCUS – Syria suggested yesterday that its efforts in foiling a brazen daylight attack on the US embassy in Damascus could pave the way for an improvement in tense relations between the two nations.

Syria earned rare praise from the US administration of President George Bush for thwarting Tuesday’s attack, which saw Islamist gunmen using mortars, automatic weapons and explosives-rigged vehicles to try to storm the compound. Three attackers and one Syrian security guard were killed in a gun battle outside the embassy following the unprecedented attack in Damascus that also left 14 people injured but no American casualties.”The ball is now in the US administration’s court,” Syria’s ambassador to Washington told the official Ath-Thawra newspaper.”The policies followed by this administration do not help in improving relations in a positive fashion,” Imad Mustafa said.”There is a chance to improve these relations because Syria has always believed in dialogue as a means to solving all problems and pending issues.”Relations between Washington and Damascus took a turn for the worse in February 2005 amid accusations that Syria was involved in the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.Tensions mounted over Syria’s support for the Muslim Shiite Lebanese Hezbollah group in its month-long war with Israel and last week the White House branded Syria and regional ally Iran “especially worrisome” threats.Syrian officials called the attack a “terrorist” act, with state-run Sana news agency describing the assailants as “tafkiri” Islamist radicals, although no group has yet claimed responsibility.The embassy remained closed Wednesday, after Americans were warned to keep a low-profile.Syrian Interior Minister Bassam Abdel Majid said an initial investigation showed the two vehicles used in the attack were stolen, state television said.Later reports from Washington said that an injured gunman captured during the attack had been cooperating with Syrian authorities.The attacker is “providing information to Syrian security authorities,” but it was not immediately known who was behind the assault, Abdel Majid told US charge d’affaires Michael Corbin, State Department Spokesman Tom Casey said.Nampa-AFPThree attackers and one Syrian security guard were killed in a gun battle outside the embassy following the unprecedented attack in Damascus that also left 14 people injured but no American casualties.”The ball is now in the US administration’s court,” Syria’s ambassador to Washington told the official Ath-Thawra newspaper.”The policies followed by this administration do not help in improving relations in a positive fashion,” Imad Mustafa said.”There is a chance to improve these relations because Syria has always believed in dialogue as a means to solving all problems and pending issues.”Relations between Washington and Damascus took a turn for the worse in February 2005 amid accusations that Syria was involved in the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.Tensions mounted over Syria’s support for the Muslim Shiite Lebanese Hezbollah group in its month-long war with Israel and last week the White House branded Syria and regional ally Iran “especially worrisome” threats.Syrian officials called the attack a “terrorist” act, with state-run Sana news agency describing the assailants as “tafkiri” Islamist radicals, although no group has yet claimed responsibility.The embassy remained closed Wednesday, after Americans were warned to keep a low-profile.Syrian Interior Minister Bassam Abdel Majid said an initial investigation showed the two vehicles used in the attack were stolen, state television said.Later reports from Washington said that an injured gunman captured during the attack had been cooperating with Syrian authorities.The attacker is “providing information to Syrian security authorities,” but it was not immediately known who was behind the assault, Abdel Majid told US charge d’affaires Michael Corbin, State Department Spokesman Tom Casey said.Nampa-AFP