The Arab league on Sunday voiced its "extreme concern" over impending US sanctions on Syria and urged Washington to abandon its alignment with Israel.
"The Arab League expresses its extreme concern over the signing of a bill imposing sanctions on Syria," according to Arab League spokesman Hossam Zaki.
US President George W. Bush signed into law Friday a bill providing for economic and diplomatic sanctions on Syria. The bill demands that Damascus stop its alleged support for "terrorism," halt development of chemical and biological arms as well as medium- and long-range missiles, and withdraw the some 15,000 soldiers it has deployed in Lebanon.
"It is regrettable that such a step was taken, to add to the bitterness and frustration in the entire region," Zaki said in a statement. The ratification of this law "raises major question marks among Arab public opinion about the intentions and aims of this law," he added.
"It is necessary for the United States to return to the role of honest broker in the affairs of the Middle East (..) and to move away from its alignment with the Israeli side and serving its interests," he said.
US policy bias toward Israel "provokes the Arab and Muslim peoples and creates a climate of tension, rage and frustration among these people," he conveyed.
Zaki questioned the policy of Washington for failing to act against "Israel whose current government violates international law daily." (Albawaba.com)
