Syria warns: an eye for an eye
Source: Al-Manar TV, 27-10-2008
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem on Monday accused the United States of "terrorist aggression" over a deadly weekend raid on a village near the Syria-Iraq border that killed eight civilians.
"We consider this criminal and terrorist aggression. We put the responsibility on the American government," he told a press conference in London, after talks with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
"Killing civilians in international law means a terrorist aggression," he added, in the first comments by a Syrian minister since the reported attack in the village of Al-Sukkiraya, eight kilometers from the border.
Asked if Syria would use force if the Americans mounted a similar operation again, he said: "As long as you are saying if, I tell you, if they do it again, we will defend our territories."
Earlier Monday a US official in Washington said US forces crossed into Syria Sunday in a raid against foreign fighters, but did not dispute Syrian accounts that airborne troops had assaulted a site.
The Syrian minister said that four American helicopters had crossed the border. Two of them landed at the village site, while the other two aircraft protected them. Soldiers came out of the helicopters on the ground and started shooting at civilians working on farms, including a father and his three children and a fisherman, he said.
"All of them are civilians, Syrian, unarmed and they are on the Syrian territories," he told reporters.
Mouallem hoped the result of next week's US presidential election can help restore the United States' global reputation, learning the "mistakes" of the Bush era. "I hope that the American people would elect the president who can bring good reputation for US in the world, not like this reputation we are witnessing for this administration," Mouallem told reporters in London.
"We hope the coming administration will learn the mistakes of this administration," he added, after talks with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
Earlier on Monday, Syria accused the United States of "applying the law of the jungle." Jihad Makdissi, a spokesman for the Syrian embassy in London, also said it was "outrageous" that a UN Security Council member like the United States should behave in this way.
"In the midst of the crisis they did not do this sort of act of aggression. Why now when the security situation in Iraq is getting better?" he told BBC radio. "It's unjustifiable."
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem on Monday accused the United States of "terrorist aggression" over a deadly weekend raid on a village near the Syria-Iraq border that killed eight civilians.
"We consider this criminal and terrorist aggression. We put the responsibility on the American government," he told a press conference in London, after talks with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
"Killing civilians in international law means a terrorist aggression," he added, in the first comments by a Syrian minister since the reported attack in the village of Al-Sukkiraya, eight kilometers from the border.
Asked if Syria would use force if the Americans mounted a similar operation again, he said: "As long as you are saying if, I tell you, if they do it again, we will defend our territories."
Earlier Monday a US official in Washington said US forces crossed into Syria Sunday in a raid against foreign fighters, but did not dispute Syrian accounts that airborne troops had assaulted a site.
The Syrian minister said that four American helicopters had crossed the border. Two of them landed at the village site, while the other two aircraft protected them. Soldiers came out of the helicopters on the ground and started shooting at civilians working on farms, including a father and his three children and a fisherman, he said.
"All of them are civilians, Syrian, unarmed and they are on the Syrian territories," he told reporters.
Mouallem hoped the result of next week's US presidential election can help restore the United States' global reputation, learning the "mistakes" of the Bush era. "I hope that the American people would elect the president who can bring good reputation for US in the world, not like this reputation we are witnessing for this administration," Mouallem told reporters in London.
"We hope the coming administration will learn the mistakes of this administration," he added, after talks with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
Earlier on Monday, Syria accused the United States of "applying the law of the jungle." Jihad Makdissi, a spokesman for the Syrian embassy in London, also said it was "outrageous" that a UN Security Council member like the United States should behave in this way.
"In the midst of the crisis they did not do this sort of act of aggression. Why now when the security situation in Iraq is getting better?" he told BBC radio. "It's unjustifiable."
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