Syrian Information Minister Adnan Omran said Saturday that the fight against terrorism should be "an international responsibility" and warned it should avoid any "illegal actions."
"The fight against terrorism is henceforth an international responsibility which to succeed must avoid being caught up in double standard politics and be carried out in the context of international law," Omran said in an article published in local newspapers.
He stressed that the anti-terrorist struggle should be led "in the context of international legality" and called for a United Nations conference to define terrorism and make a distinction between "terrorism and what is legitimate resistance to occupation."
Referring to comments from Israeli leaders seeking to implicate Arab and Muslim countries in the attacks on the United States, Omran accused "certain countries of wanting to transform the legitimate anger of the Americans into illegal acts."
He said that the global fight against terrorism should include Israel, which he charged is guilty of carrying out state terrorism against Arabs.
"Israel must pay for the crimes that it has committed and be forced to apply international resolutions," he said.
His comments were in response an interview by former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger in an Italian newspaper on September 12 in which he called for huge pressure on governments that harbor terrorist organizations.
Omran also implied Israel could have had a hand in the US attacks.
"Who is responsible for this latest catastrophe? Fingers are pointed at Osama bin Laden because of threats made by him in the past, but didn't Benjamin Netanyahu also threaten to burn Washington when he was Israeli prime minister in 1988?" the minister said.
Syria features on the US state department list of countries supporting terrorism as it plays host to radical Palestinian organizations and supports Lebanon's radical Shiite militia Hezbollah.
Damascus rejects the charge, saying such groups are merely "resisting" the occupation of Arab territories by Israel -- DAMASCUS (AFP)
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