LOC23:59
20:59 GMT
DAMASCUS, May 23 (KUNA) -- Syrian foreign minister Waleed Muallem ruled out
Monday a foreign military aggression against his country.
"America is leading these (punitive) measures against Syria," Muallem said
in an interview with the Syrian Satellite Channel.
The US had imposed further sanctions against Syria, and the EU slammed
President Bashar Al-Assad with sanctions.
The US is carefully calculating its military decisions, said Muallem,
because it knew very well the financial and human costs of these decision.
Muallem said the US was "openly speaking about protecting the security of
Israel so can it talks about human rights."
The Syrian top diplomat lashed out at the UN Security Council because it
was dominated by the Western countries. "We have big questions marks over the
Western dominance on the Security Council," he added. He said they were using
force against Libya "under the Security Council coverage."
He, meanwhile, said the West offered Syria many incentives to abondon the
resistance and Iran "but Syria has always supported the Palestinian cause and
the Palestinian resistance."
On the EU sanctions, Muallem said they would "harm Europe's interest and
Syria will not sit silent."
He said the EU "committed a mistake by the sanctions ... ." (end)
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