Powell vows to get tough with Syria

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Secretary of State Colin L. Powell arrived in this capital Friday to confront President Bashar Assad with tough choices that will determine whether Washington imposes new economic or diplomatic penalties on Syria for its support of extremists, its alleged chemical weapons programs or other concerns.

With the ouster of Saddam Hussein in neighboring Iraq and the new "road map" to end the Arab-Israeli conflict, the time has come for Syria to respond to the "changed strategic dynamic" in the region, Powell told reporters en route to Damascus.

"I will encourage them to review these changes and take a look at some of their past policies and see whether those policies seem to be relevant in light of a new, changed situation," he said.

Powell said Syria is not the "next target" after Iraq, but he said that Washington feels strongly about its disputes with Damascus and that Syria "really needs to reassess" its policies.

"They know the things we disapprove of," Powell said of U.S. demands. "If they don't meet any of them, that will be taken into account as we decide on our future strategy. . . . We will analyze their performance, and then the president will make his decision."

Long-standing tensions between Washington and Damascus came to a head during the Iraq war when fighters and equipment went into Iraq from Syria and Iraqi officials then escaped across the border into Syria. Although Damascus has begun to cooperate on these matters and has forced some Iraqis to leave, Powell said there may be other former officials still in Syria.

Washington also has concerns about whether some of Iraq's weaponry was hidden in Syria.

Assad has recently sent messages to the Bush administration through the foreign ministers of Turkey and Spain, as well as visiting U.S. congressional delegations, that he is prepared to change, U.S. officials say. But Powell said the United States will expect tangible action "in the days ahead" because of Syria's past failures to follow through on promises to Washington.

Powell was badly burned during his first visit to Damascus two years ago when Assad promised to end illicit Iraqi oil shipments through Syria that provided Baghdad with up to $1 billion a year in illegal revenues.

Instead, the shipments continued and even increased until Syria was the largest and most lucrative smuggling route for Iraqi oil and other goods, including war materiel.

Powell said he would remind Syrian officials that he had been misled.

"I will always have that lying in my background software and on my hard drive," he told reporters.

For its part, Syria -- which now remains the most active Arab supporter of extremist groups -- signaled Friday that it does not intend to be ordered around.

"Syria believes in dialogue, not in accepting demands from others," the state-owned newspaper Al Thawra said in an editorial referring to Powell's visit.

Yet Damascus badly needs to improve relations with Washington, U.S. officials say. During the Iraq war, American troops cut off oil shipments and trade by land, which accounted for roughly one-fifth of Syria's trade income -- deeply damaging an already troubled economy.

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