Syria shrugs off threat from U.S.

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DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syria said yesterday it had been punished by the U.S. Congress because of its long-standing support of the Palestinian resistance against the Israelis.

The state-run SANA news agency gave Syria's first official reaction to Tuesday's overwhelming passage of the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Act by the Senate.

"The Senate voted, as expected, for economic and diplomatic sanctions against Syria because of its support for the resistance of the Palestinian people against the Israeli occupation," SANA said.

The measure, which easily cleared the House last month, is expected to be signed into law by President Bush within weeks.

It charges that Syria has links to militant extremists and is seeking to obtain nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

It provides a range of options for punishing Syria, from restricting U.S. exports and business investment to downgrading Washington's diplomatic representation and imposing travel restrictions on Syrian diplomats in the United States.

The bill also bans the export of "dual-use" technology, allows the U.S. government to freeze Syria's assets in the United States and restricts overflight rights for Syrian aircraft inside U.S. airspace.

It also calls for Syria to withdraw its 20,000 troops deployed in neighboring Lebanon, which is dominated by Damascus.

Syria's ruling-party newspaper, Al-Ba'ath, shrugged off the threat facing Damascus.