Assad says Israel must give up nukes first

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BEIRUT (AFP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad declared in an interview published Monday that Israel must abandon its nuclear arsenal before Arab states can be asked to give up any alleged weapons programmes. "What (the United States) is requesting is not logically acceptable," Assad told the pan-Arab Al Sharq Al Awsat newspaper, but again stopped short of denying that Syria possessed any weapons of mass destruction.

"It is not possible to ask Arab and Muslim states, where there is no proof that they possess such weapons, to allow inspections of their installations but ignore the Israeli arsenal of weapons of mass destruction," he said.

"If they (the Americans) were really serious, let the entire region be free" of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), he said.

The United States, Israel's chief ally, has urged Syria to follow the example of Libya which last month pledged to renounce its quest for chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

Washington has threatened Damascus with political and economic sanctions, accusing it of developing banned weapons and of supporting "terrorism."

But Assad said: "We have been calling from the start for the removal of all weapons of mass destruction from the region. We presented this in an initiative eight months ago.

Israel has never confirmed or denied charges it possesses nuclear weapons, but the United States has considered it to be a nuclear power since 1969 and experts estimate it has 200 nuclear warheads.

Syria and Israel are still technically at war and despite recent overtures, there are no signs of a resumption of peace talks that collapsed four years ago.

Assad's remarks come as exiled Syrian dissident Nizar Nayyouf repeated claims that Iraqi biological and chemical weapons were smuggled into Syria just before the March launch of the US-led war that ousted Saddam Hussein.

Nayyouf first made his allegations to British television earlier this month, but US officials have said they have no hard evidence of his claims.

Syria was never a close ally of Saddam's Iraq despite a rapprochement in recent years that led to a reopening of borders and economic cooperation linked to Iraqi oil exports to Syria.

Assad also acknowledged that Saddam regime had stashed $200 million in Syrian banks, but insisted the money would not be returned until Baghdad settled its debts with Damascus.

Washington has asked Syria to seal its borders with Iraq, accusing Damascus of turning a blind eye to the infiltration of foreign fighters leading attacks against US-led troops.

"We tell them look at your borders with Mexico, and let us compare it with the Syrian-Iraqi borders as it is also prone to infiltrations and violations," Assad told the paper. "How can we control the borders in these troubled times."

Despite continued US pressure — particularly after US President George W. Bush signed legislation in December threatening to impose sanctions — Damascus continues to say it wants improved ties with Washington.

But Syria also accuses the United States of double standards and not doing enough to rein in its close ally Israel, which continues to occupy the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau seized from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

"The current US administration has not had the desire to engage itself in the peace process since the start, and not even today," said Assad.

Assad said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had risen to power only because of a resurgence of "extremism" in Israel and he would therefore have difficulties in making peace with its Arab neighbours.