Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=5/2/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-302846

TITLE=CQ POWELL / SYRIA (L-ONITER)

BYLINE=DAVID GOLLUST

DATELINE=DAMASCUS

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

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INTRO: U-S Secretary of State Colin Powell is in Damascus on the first of two Middle East trips in the span of a week. The visits are aimed at restarting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process through the international "roadmap" released earlier this week. Mr. Powell says the United States' aim is a comprehensive peace settlement including Syria, but to do so that government must cut ties to radical anti-Israel groups. V-O-A's David Gollust reports from Damascus.

TEXT: Mr. Powell, who meets President Bashar Assad Saturday, says he will tell the Syrian leader there is a "new strategic dynamic" in the region with the fall of Saddam Hussein and seating of a new reform-minded Palestinian cabinet.

In a talk with reporters enroute to Syria from Albania, Mr. Powell said he will ask Syria to reconsider some long-standing policies in light of the changes, including efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction, support for Palestinian factions the United States sees as terrorist groups, and the trans-shipment through Syria of supplies bound for Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

He said he does not expect immediate changes in the Syrian position but said the Bush administration will be looking for "specific action and performance" on the part of the government here that would "reflect understanding of the new situation.

Mr. Powell said media reporting last month that the United States might follow up the war in Iraq with military action against Syria was a "mis-characterization" of U-S policy.

However he said the United States continues to have concerns about materials crossing into Iraq from Syria during the Iraq fighting and said these concerns have been conveyed to Damascus through the "appropriate channels."

He also stressed that President Bush wants to see the "roadmap" lead to a comprehensive regional peace that includes a Syrian-Israeli accord including resolution of the issue of the Golan Heights.

But citing, among other things, growing sentiment in the U-S Congress to penalize Syria for its behavior, he said the government here "really needs to reassess its situation."

After the meetings in Damascus, Mr. Powell wraps up his initial Middle east swing with a brief stop in Beirut for talks with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

But he resumes the effort the middle of next week, when he returns for a longer trip that will include talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the new Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, along with consultations in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. (Signed)

NEB/DAG/RH/PT