Syria rejects Iraqi weapons claims

2002-12-25 15:00

Inal Ersan

Damascus - Syria on Wednesday brushed aside Israeli accusations that it was hiding Iraqi biological and chemical weapons.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said on Tuesday Israel suspected Baghdad was transferring arms to Syria to hide them from United Nations weapons inspectors.

"Sharon's allegations that Iraq has transported to Syria chemical and biological weapons are baseless and aim to avert attention from the nuclear, chemical and biological arsenal that Israel owns," the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The statement said the accusation was "ridiculous" as Syria had signed international pacts against nuclear proliferation and had called on countries in the region to keep the Middle East free of all weapons of mass destruction.

"The only side that stood and still stands against that call is Israel. Israel with its arsenal of weapons of mass destruction presents a danger not only to the Palestinians, Syria and Lebanon, but to the whole region and to international peace and security," the statement said.

Israel is widely believed to have about 300 nuclear warheads, but its policy is never to discuss the issue.

Sharon, in an interview with Israel's Channel Two television, said: "What we believe, and I say that we have not yet confirmed it conclusively, is that weapons he (Iraqi President Saddam Hussein) wants to hide, chemical and biological weapons, have indeed been sent to Syria."

He gave no evidence to support the allegation.

UN weapons inspectors returned to Iraq last month after a four-year hiatus to resume a hunt for banned weapons of mass destruction - which Iraq denies possessing - amid threats by the United States to disarm Iraq by force if it does not obey UN resolutions.

Syria has told the United States it has no right to attack Iraq and has warned that US support for Israel was fuelling popular anger in the region.

Syria is among the countries the United States lists as sponsors of "terrorism", mainly over its support for Lebanon's Hizbollah movement and Palestinian militants opposed to Israeli occupation of Arab territory.

- Reuters