Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urged Arab and Muslim countries on Sunday to unite in the face of U.S. threats and "foreign conspiracies" as Washington prepares for a possible attack on Iraq.
Iran's official IRNA news agency said Assad reiterated Syria's objection to any U.S. military attack on Baghdad and called for "deeper unity and solidarity among Arab and Muslim countries in the face of American threats against the region."
Assad was speaking after a meeting in Damascus with Mohammed Sader, a top Iranian foreign ministry official.
IRNA added Assad had called on the region to "challenge the conspiracies woven in foreign circles against the countries of the region."
Al Qaeda
Meanwhile, an Israeli daily reported Monday that Damascus has allowed 150-200 al Qaeda fighters to settle in the Palestinian refugee camp Ein al Hilwe near Sidon in Lebanon. The group, including senior commanders, arrived from Afghanistan through Damascus, Iran and directly to Lebanon.
Haaretz reported that these operatives are responsible, among other things, for the latest outbreak of fighting inside the refugee camp, as part of their attempt to take over the camp.
The newspaper also wrote that Mohammed Atta, the leader of the al Qaeda group that conducted the Sept. 11 airplane attacks in New York visited Syria twice or three times. The Syrians did not give that information to the Americans on their own volition, the report said.
Osama bin Laden's son, Omar, left Syria together with his mother Nagwa, three weeks before the attack on Sept. 11, after receiving anonymous instructions to do so. The son returned to Syria after 9-11, and has since visited twice more, the Israeli report said. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
