21 June 2002
U.S. Says Syria Has Responsibilities Not to Support Terrorist Groups
(Boucher says that message was delivered to Syria at UN) (470)
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the U.S. envoy to the
United Nations, John Negroponte, has made it very clear to Syria that
it has responsibilities not to support groups that carry out
terrorism.
"So we, I think, have made very clear, as you say, in the Council and
outside of it that there are responsibilities that we think Syria has
as a member of the United Nations, but more broadly as a member of the
international community, not to support groups that carry out
terrorism," Boucher said, briefing reporters at the State Department
in Washington June 21.
Following is an excerpt from the transcript of Boucher's briefing
about U.S. views of Syria's responsibilities:
(begin excerpt)
QUESTION: But on that same subject, Richard, twice in the last two and
a half weeks -- maybe it's been three -- your people at the UN have
come out and really hammered Syria in the Security Council for -- both
opened and closed session -- for its policies, and particularly
because it is now -- they are now the president of the Security
Council. Are you guys yet ready to say something more than what you
said on the eve of their assuming the position of Security Council
presidency about their participation as a member of the Council?
MR. BOUCHER: I think what we would continue to say is that obviously
there are additional responsibilities that go with being on the
Security Council. Fundamentally, the issues are the ones that we have
raised and raised repeatedly. Ambassador Negroponte raised many of
these issues in the meeting yesterday, talked about actions on the
Middle East by the Council over the past several months that indicate
areas of agreement among Council members; cited especially
condemnation of terror attacks against Israel that are aimed at
destroying peaceful settlements.
He strongly refuted the notion that support for terrorist violence
could possibly advance legitimate political aspirations, and we have
made clear that those kinds of remarks on the implementation of UN
resolutions, including 1373, apply to all member-states, including
Syria. So we, I think, have made very clear, as you say, in the
Council and outside of it that there are responsibilities that we
think Syria has as a member of the United Nations, but more broadly as
a member of the international community, not to support groups that
carry out terrorism.
QUESTION: The Syrian Foreign Minister made some pretty outrageous
comments this morning at the United Nations, along the lines of "all
Israelis are armed and therefore terrorists." Do you agree with that
assessment?
MR. BOUCHER: I have not seen those remarks. So I don't want to comment
on something I haven't seen. But without ascribing them to any
particular person, if somebody said that, he would be wrong.
(end excerpt)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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