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In an apparent countermove against US accusations, Syria on Wednesday presented the UN Security Council a draft resolution aiming to rid the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
The draft resolution, submitted at closed-door council consultations, calls for turning the Middle East into a region free of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
The draft resolution was "unanimously supported by the League of Arab States" and aimed at "generally and completely disarming weapons of mass destruction" in the Middle East, Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Mikhail Wehbe told reporters after the consultations.
Wehbe said the two main points of the resolution were to keep the region free of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and to prevent terrorist groups from getting and possessing these weapons.
Such a resolution is "very important" for the peace process and peace and security in the Middle East, he said.
Wehbe said Syria is ready to sign any agreement on turning the Middle East into a WMD-free region.
US Ambassador to the UN John Negroponte repeated Washington's accusations that Syria had been seeking chemical weapons.
Syria's attempt "to acquire WMD materials and precursor items" would continue to be "a source of concern" for the United States, Negroponte told reporters minutes before Wehbe's encounter with the press.
Negroponte said the council would meet Thursday afternoon on the draft text, which was circulated for consideration of delegations.
Shy from saying whether the United States supports the draft, he said Washington has been for years in favor of removing WMDs throughout the entire Middle East region.
Diplomats say the draft targets Washington's closest ally Israel, which Syria has long accused of possessing WMDs, including nuclear weapons.
Syria tabled the resolution just as the US administration heated its rhetoric against the country. In recent days, Washington accused Damascus of developing WMDs and sheltering terrorists and Iraqi officials, and threatened to impose sanctions on it. Syria have flatly rejected all the US accusations.
(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2003)
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