US cites Iran, Syria as 'worrisome' threats
America safer but we are not yet safe: Bush admn
Afp, ap, Washington
The White House yesterday unveiled a reworked anti-terrorism plan, calling Iran and Syria "especially worrisome" threats and downplaying Muslim anger at the Iraq war and the Arab-Israeli conflict. The 23-page "National Strategy for Combatting Terrorism" placed a premium on keeping weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) from terrorists and warned that extremist groups like Al-Qaeda have adapted to US tactics. "Most troubling is the potential WMD-terrorism nexus that emanates from Tehran. Syria also is a significant state sponsor of terrorism and thus a priority for concern," the report said. The Bush administration proclaimed significant progress in the war on terror yesterday but said the enemy has adjusted to US defences and that "America is safer but we are not yet safe." "Years of failed Republican policies have made America less safe and less able to effectively fight terrorism, and Democrats are ready to take this country in a new direction," Democrats said in statement. Osama bin Laden's network, which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks, is "significantly degraded but still dangerous" and serves as the "vanguard" of loosely connected extremists linked by ideology, the report said. The document, which offered no new policies for fighting terrorism, said Washington would seek to isolate state sponsors of terrorism and warned that "Iranian and Syrian terrorist activities are especially worrisome." "Iran remains the most active state sponsor of international terrorism," said the report, which was released as US President George W. Bush was to make the second in a series of speeches on the war on terrorism. "Through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Ministry of Intelligence and Security, the regime in Tehran plans terrorist operations and supports groups such as Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ). "Iran also remains unwilling to account for and bring to justice senior al-Qaeda members it detained in 2003," it said. "Syria also is a significant state sponsor of terrorism and thus a priority for concern. The regime in Damascus supports and provides haven to Hezbollah, Hamas, and PIJ. We will continue to stand with the people of Iran and Syria against the regimes that oppress them at home and sponsor terror abroad," it said.
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