"The Syrian government must understand that its conduct alone will determine the duration of the sanctions," said Bush (AFP)

WASHINGTON (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Syrian officials ridiculed Wednesday, May 12, the newly-imposed U.S. sanctions on Damascus , ruling out any significant impact on the country or its economy.

The sanctions "will have no effect on the national economy or the agriculture sector", Agriculture Minister Adel Safar told journalists, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"But we feel that the pressure being applied by the U.S. smacks of injustice and double standards being applied" in the Middle East, he stressed, accusing Washington of "carrying out Israeli policy in the region".

U.S. President George W. Bush imposed the new sanctions on Tuesday, May 11, accusing Damascus of supported terrorism and failing to close its borders to "insurgents" looking to fight U.S. forces in Iraq .

"The principle of imposing sanctions on Syria is a joke," parliament speaker Mahmud al-Abrash told AFP in Amman on the sidelines of a meeting of his counterparts from Iraq 's neighbors.

"We are not in an elementary school for the teacher to come and impose sanctions on an undisciplined student. Syria is a country that has its dignity and respects international legislation," he added.

"We in parliament consider the U.S. action a humiliation and totally rejected."

The top lawmaker accused the United States of constantly putting pressure on Syria , stressing that Damascus "will never submit" to Washington 's will.

Prime Minister Mohammed Naji Otri said late Tuesday the sanctions were "unjust and unjustified", while adding that they "will not have any affect on Syria ."

He called on Washington to "reverse its decision and not provoke problems between the two countries."

Damascus accuses Washington of double standards and not doing enough to rein in its close ally Israel , which still occupies the Golan Heights , a strategic Syrian plateau since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

The U.S. frequently used its veto power to spike Syrian-backed resolutions condemning Israel .

The last one was used on October 15 against a draft resolution condemning Israel 's separation wall in the occupied Palestinian territories, under the yoke of Israeli occupation since 1948.

Near-blanket Ban

In his formal order, Bush argued that Syria 's actions "constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States and (I) hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat."

The sanctions include a near-blanket ban on U.S. exports to Syria and the power to freeze Syrian assets in the United States .

He accused Syria of "supporting terrorism, continuing its occupation of Lebanon , pursuing weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, and undermining United States and international efforts with respect to the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq ".

The statement noted in particular Syria 's support for Palestinian and Lebanese groups, such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah.

Arab and Islamic countries view the groups with a favorable eye as resistance groups fighting Israeli occupation of Arab territories while Washington and Tel Aviv label them as "terrorist" groups.

"The Syrian government must understand that its conduct alone will determine the duration of the sanctions," Bush said in the order.

He authorized additional sanctions, which have not yet been implemented, including a requirement that U.S. banks sever ties with the Commercial Bank of Syria because of money laundering concerns. That restriction is expected to take force in a month's time, officials said.

The officials said that measure could affect credit card transactions with Syrian merchants but could not estimate the potential impact on sales.

Except for food and medicine and items intended for certain exempt entities such as the U.S. embassy, foreign diplomatic missions and U.N. agencies in Damascus, all U.S. exports to Syria, estimated at some 100 million dollars per year, are banned under the sanctions.

This is expected to heavily affect U. .S companies, particularly oil firms, working in Syria , which will have to find another source for the materials used in their operations, officials said.

The sanctions specifically ban any aircraft or airline owned or controlled by the Syrian government from taking off or landing in the United States .

Syrian airlines, as a matter of fact, do not fly to the United States at present.

In November 2003, the U.S. Congress approved economic and diplomatic sanctions against Syria .

Bush signed the legislation, called the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Act, into law in late December.

And leading Senators, who voted down the bill, feared that the measure could later be used to build a case for a military intervention against Syria .

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell had told Damascus to learn from the lessons of Saddam Hussein's ouster .