Obama Huh? 311.
(photo credit: AP)
US
President Barack Obama extended US sanctions on Syria by a year, a
communiqué to Congress detailed on Tuesday.
In the message, Obama
expressed concern that Syria continues to support terrorist regimes and tries
to obtain weapons of mass destruction. Syria's actions and
policies "pose a continuing unusual and
extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and
economy of the United States," he said.
The US president added that the Syrian government had "made some progress in
suppressing foreign fighter networks infiltrating suicide bombers into
Iraq."
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"As we have communicated to the Syrian government directly, Syrian
actions will determine whether this national emergency is renewed or
terminated in the future," Obama said.
Last month US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton underlined the Obama administration's interest in improving
relations with
Syria despite
its "deeply troubling" moves to aid Hizbullah in
neighboring Lebanon, seeing the relationship as crucial to the Middle
East peace
process.
"Where we are as of today is that we believe it is important to continue the process to return an ambassador; this is not some kind of reward for the Syrians and the actions they take that are deeply disturbing," she said.