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Syria Warns Against Involvement of Muslim Countries in Afghanistan
TEHRAN, Nov 18 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam warned Muslim countries against any form of involvement in the war in Afghanistan, in an interview published Sunday by the
Iran News daily.
"The Afghan war is unique since the current conflict between Afghanistan and America is a U.S. war against the Taliban and Al-Qa'eda," Khaddam told the English-language daily.
Al-Qa'eda is the movement headed by Osama bin Laden, who is accused by the Bush administration of masterminding the deadly September 11 attacks on Washington and New York.
"No Islamic nation should enter the conflict under any pretext since the only winner would be Israel," he warned.
On Thursday, Amman announced it was to "send Jordanian peacekeeping forces in the framework of a humanitarian operation in Afghanistan."
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said in an interview published the same day in the London-published Arabic daily,
Al-Hayat, that Britain has also had talks with other Muslim states about joining a Muslim peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.
Syria condemned the deadly September 11 attacks against the United States. But Damascus has also voiced reservations on Washington's so-called "anti-terror campaign", repeatedly calling for a distinction between "terrorism" and the "peoples' right to resist Israeli occupation".
"Some of the Arab and Islamic states are aiding the U.S. attacks [on Afghanistan], under the pretext of helping the American cause as allies and promoting the overall plan, but we warn against the consequences," Khaddam said.
It is "unlikely that America will attack Syria and Lebanon," he said. The two countries have been placed on the U.S. State Department's list for sheltering alleged terrorist organizations.
"If the U.S. ever implements such threats we will defend ourselves," he added.
Washington has listed several organizations based in or backed by Syria as terrorist organizations. It recently ordered the assets of those groups to be frozen, including movements that are not suspected of involvement in the September 11 attacks.
Khaddam reiterated that Syria sees itself as targeted by the inclusion on the U.S. list of the Damascus-backed Lebanese group Hizbollah. The Lebanese movement spearheaded armed resistance against Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon until forcing Israel's withdrawal in May 2000.
"The pressure on Hizbollah on the pretext of being a terrorist organization is treated as a forceful measure against Syria, which will confront all such U.S. and Zionist acts," he warned.
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