State Department Confirms Policy Shift on Syria
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns reconfirmed last week that the Bush Administration will not oppose enactment of the Syria Accountability Act that has passed the House (H.R. 1828) and is currently pending in the Senate (S. 982).
In a hearing conducted by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee late last week, Burns told the panel that "[W]e face some real problems in Syrian behavior that we cannot afford to ignore. Action on the Syria Accountability Act certainly makes clear the depth of congressional concern on these issues and the consequences of inaction by Syria." Burns also confirmed that Syria continues to support terror groups and groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad continue to operate out of Syria.