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Bush Expands “Axis of Evil”, U.S. Body Calls For Sanctions Against Saudi Arabia
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Sharon
awarded in the U.S. for being a ‘distinguished statesman
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WASHINGTON, May 7 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The United States accused Monday, May 6, Cuba, Syria and Libya, countries it deems to be sponsors of so-called international terrorism, of seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction and effectively put them on a waiting list of the "axis of evil.”
Beyond President George W. Bush's so-called "axis of evil" - Iraq, Iran and North Korea - there are other "rogue" states which seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction, particularly biological weapons, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton said, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
He claimed Damascus and Tripoli were trying to obtain chemical and biological weapons in violation of international conventions.
He also called on Havana to stop furnishing biological equipment to nations Washington considers sponsors of terrorism.
"The U.S. believes that Cuba has at least a limited offensive biological warfare research and development effort. Cuba has provided dual-use biotechnology to other rogue states," Bolton said in an address to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank here.
Bolton said Cuban President Fidel Castro's regime is, as far as Washington is concerned, a sponsor of international terrorism, and recalled that last year, Castro made official visits to Syria, Iran and Libya.
Turning to Libya, he said Tripoli "continues its goal of reestablishing its offensive chemical weapons ability" and alleged that the Libyans had produced at least 100 tons of different types of chemical arms before their Rabta plant closed and reopened in 1995 under the “guise” of a pharmaceutical facility.
"Following the suspension of UN sanctions in April 1999, Libya has reestablished contacts with illicit foreign sources of expertise, parts and precursors chemicals in the Middle East, Asia and Western Europe," Bolton said.
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"The United States believes that Libya has continued its biological warfare program. Although its program is in the research and development stage, Libya may be capable of producing small quantities of biological agent."
He also said Tripoli was continuing efforts to acquire an atomic bomb and equipment to develop medium-range missiles.
Syria "has a stockpile of the nerve agent sarin and is engaged in research and development of the more toxic and persistent nerve agent VX and was also pursuing the development of biological weapons and is able to produce at least small amounts of biological warfare agents," Bolton claimed.
The U.S. has also criticized Saudi Arabia, whose foreign minister Saud Al-Faisal is currently on visit to the United States. A U.S. advisory panel has urged the administration of President George W. Bush to designate Saudi Arabia and Turkmenistan as gross violators of religious freedoms and impose sanctions against them, reported AFP.
These and other recommendations are contained in an annual report unveiled Monday by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom that advises the administration and Congress on a broad array of international and humanitarian policy issues.
The panel said the assistance provided the United States by a number of Arab and Asian states in Washington's so-called “war on terrorism” should not deter the administration from taking a firm stand on human right and religious freedoms.
"Cooperation in the fight against terrorism does not grant them license to continue to abuse the rights of their own people," the commission said in the report.
The recommendations come at a particularly delicate time for U.S. diplomacy, which has been trying to enlist Saudi cooperation in putting the Middle East peace process back on track and forging a unified front for a possible military operation against Iraq.
After meeting with U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, Al-Faisal shrugged off the U.S. proposal for holding a Mideast peace conference saying "the conference or a meeting is not an objective in itself, it depends on what that meeting includes and until these ideas are cleared, I don't think we can give an opinion on that."
The panel said that the Saudi monarchy "denies religious freedom and vigorously enforces its prohibition against all forms of public religious expression other that those who follow the government's interpretation and presentation of the Hanbali school of Sunni Islam."
As for Turkmenistan, the report found religious freedom conditions in that former Soviet republic "very poor and deteriorating." The only religions officially recognized by the Turkmen government include Sunni Islam and Russian Orthodox Christianity.
According to the commission, both nations deserve the designations of "countries of particular concern," which, if accepted, would trigger automatic sanctions against them under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act.
These sanctions include a suspension of U.S. development and security aid and U.S. opposition to loans from international financial institutions.
Since the adoption of the law, the panel has recommended this designation for nine countries: Myanmar, China, Iran, Iraq, Laos, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Turkmenistan.
So far, the State Department has agreed in six cases, including those of Myanmar, China, Iran, Iraq, North Korea and Sudan.
During his visit to the U.S. Sharon addressed a conference of the Anti -Defamation League (ADL), a leading Jewish group, where he was presented a “the Distinguished Statesman Award” from ADL’s director Abraham H. Foxman.
Sharon denied that an anti-terrorist operation his army conducted in the Palestinian refugee camp in West Bank town of Jenin was a massacre and ruled out any international prosecution of Israeli citizens.
"No nation in the world has the right to bring Israel to court," he said. The Israeli leader also thanked the administration of George W. Bush for its support of his country.
"I would like to thank the American administration and its leadership that helped us, understood us, and supported us to get out of this trap where we could be trapped in a very complicated situation," said Sharon.
In the same meeting, Powell urged European nations to combat anti-Jewish attacks linked to Middle East tensions. "And we make it clear that America always stands up, will always stand up with the victims of hatred. We have loudly and publicly condemned these crimes, as have national leaders and senior government officials throughout Europe," he said.
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