"Iran continues to engage in a behavior that is deeply troubling and antithetical to American interests," Rice

WASHINGTON, May 15 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Adding to the U.S. campaign against Syria and Iran, White House National Security Advisor Conoleezza Rice renewed Wednesday, May 14, evening “warnings” to both countries, accusing the two states of supporting “terrorism.”

Without giving any evidence, Washington accused Iran and Syria of behavior it considers detrimental to the interests of the United States, including alleged support for terrorists and nuclear weapons programs.

This comes at a time when the Iranian President Mohamed Khatami ends a successful visit to Lebanon and starts an official visit to Damascus within the framework of a tour he makes in the region.

"Iran continues to engage in a behavior that is deeply troubling and antithetical to American interests," Rice said.

"Iran's (weapons of mass destruction) program, its nuclear program -- the U.S. has raised alarm over these programs over a long period of time," she said.

She said an International Atomic Energy Agency mission to Iran "has seemed to raise a wide question about what the Iranians were doing under their so-called civil (nuclear) program.

"The nuclear program... we believe is a disguise for a nuclear weapons program," said Rice. "We have a lot evidence of that."

She also cautioned Iran against trying to secretly import its form over government into neighboring postwar Iraq, adding: "We expect Iran to behave to the new Iraqi government as a good neighbor."

Extremely Difficult

Rice also said that Washington's relationship with Damascus has been "problematic because of the policies and behavior of Syria”.

"Frankly, this is a very difficult relationship, not one that is likely to improve without some major change...It's important that Syria be willing and ready to end its occupation of Lebanon," Rice said Rice without mentioning the Israeli occupation of the Lebanese south, Syrian Golan Heights or the Palestinian territories.

She criticized Syria’s support for what she called “terrorism”, particularly to Lebanese Hizbullah and other organizations that refuse to establish peace in the Middle East.

The resistance movement of Hizbullah was the main reason behind the Israeli occupation withdrawal from the Lebanese south, except for Shabaa Farms, in May 2000.

Rice repeated the unproved accusations leveled at Damascus with regard to providing refuge to top Iraqi officials. “It is apparent that they fled to Syria,” she said.

She demanded Syria to stop it non-conventional weapons programs in a verifiable way.

Rice’s statements come within the intensive pressures the US. Administration practices on both Syria and Iran.

Khatami has arrived to Damascus on Wednesday, May 14, coming from Beirut, in a two-day official visit to Syria, during which he holds talks with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al-Assad on the developments in the region following the Iraq war.

Khatami will head Thursday to Yemen and Bahrain.

U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell, who visited Beirut on May 3, declared his worries about continuous activities of Hizbullah.