Lawmakers seek to pressure Syria

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers yesterday said they are drafting legislation calling for active support of prodemocracy opposition forces in Syria and occupied Lebanon in what would mark the closest the US government has come to calling for the overthrow of President Bashar Al Assad of Syria.

The Syria and Lebanon Liberation Act, expected to be completed this week and then brought before the House International Relations Committee, calls for a ''transition to free, democratic rule in Syria" and ''establishes a program of assistance to independent human rights and pro-democracy forces in Syria and Lebanon." The bill would approve grants for independent media broadcasts, according to a summary of the legislation.

In urging President Bush to take a harder stance against Damascus for its support of terrorist groups, Repsentatives Eliot Engel, Democrat of New York, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican of Florida, also accused Syria yesterday of staging a terrorist attack Tuesday in the Syrian capital in an effort to avoid looming sanctions by the Bush Administration.

Assailants fired bullets and detonated a bomb under a car in the al-Mezze neighborhood of Damascus -- where many foreign diplomats reside -- but were intercepted by Syrian forces, the government-controlled media reported. Four people were killed, including two of the attackers.

But Engel called the attacks ''very suspect," saying it appeared the Syrian government staged the attack ''in an attempt to gain the sympathy and gratitude of the international community." Ros-Lehtinen called the incident a ''charade." They provided no evidence and the White House declined to comment on the statement.

The lawmakers' comments drew quick rebuke from Syria's ambassador to the United Nations, Fayssal Mekdad. ''If it is true that some people are saying this, this is something shameful," he said in a telephone interview. ''This shows their insincerity in combatting terrorism. It's really ridiculous, unacceptable, and it shows a lack of responsibility at such a difficult time."

Despite widespread bipartisan support in Congress, the new measure is likely to spark controversy, recalling a similarly named act in 1998 that helped set the stage for last year's war in Iraq: the Iraq Liberation Act, which first stated that ''regime change" was US policy regarding Saddam Hussein. Some observers say such a policy could work against US interests. ''It is not convincing democratic or liberation forces that we have their best interests at heart," Theodore Kattouf, US ambassador to Syria until last September said of such a proposal. ''The reformers say 'you are killing us with these things.' "

Assad added to the standoff with Washington -- which has accused Syria of allowing terrorists to cross into Iraq -- saying yesterday in an interview with Al Jazeera television that attacks on US troops in Iraq are part of a ''legitimate" resistance against occupation. ''Public reaction. . . gives legitimacy to the resistance," he said.

Engel and Ros-Lehtinen' press conference yesterday was intended to urge the White House to implement legislation already on the books, the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Act, passed overwhelmingly by both houses of Congress in December and signed by President Bush. Administration officials have said they plan to use some of the law's new authorities -- including diplomatic sanctions -- to punish Damascus, but have so far failed to take action.

The December act called on Syria to end its 20-year occupation of Lebanon, support for anti-Israel terrorist groups and weapons of mass destruction programs. An administration official repeated earlier White House statements yesterday that it will implement the law.

''The Syrian Accountability Act is an important piece of legislation that the administration supported," said a senior administration official who asked not to be named. ''It does not contain timelines and we are working steadily to devise a plan that will have a real impact on the regime in Damascus. Our concern about Syria -- its weapons of mass destruction program, its support of terrorism, failure to adequately police its borders with Iraq and prevent territory from being used by jihadists trying to enter -- are serious issues that we need to address."

Syria is the only country designated a sponsor of terrorism that still has diplomatic ties with the United States. The draft of the new measure calls for, among other things, sanctioning individuals and foreign countries that provide assistance to Syria's terrorist activities or its efforts to acquire and develop threatening conventional and unconventional weapons, according to the summary.

Mekdad yesterday denied that Syria supports terrorism.

''They must know that Syria has never condoned terrorism and that Syria was one of the first states to condemn the criminal actions at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania," he said, adding that sanctions are not the solution and that Syria is fighting terrorism.

''We don't believe in such tricks to show how much we are committed to the antiterrorist struggle," Mekdad added. ''We have suffered terrorism and we expect to suffer because the whole situation in the region is in disarray. Syria will do its best against terrorists and their organizations."

Globe correspondent Joe Lauria contributed to this report from New York. Bryan Bender can be reached by email at bender@globe.com.