U.S. Renews Accusations Against Syria

"But I think there is much more that Syria can do," Powell said, urging Damascus to end work on weapons of mass destruction, stop providing arms to Hezbollah and expel from Damascus members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, who shatter the dreams of Palestinians of their own state.

"They have done a better job in making sure that people who are trying to escape from the justice of the Iraqi people are not finding haven in Syria," he added

He noted that he had raised all of these issues with Syrian officials, including President Bashar al-Assad, during a visit to Damascus in May.

Bolton Is A Threat To Syria

Meanwhile, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and another U.S. intelligence agency have opposed last week a draft plan, through which Bush administration launches a campaign against Syrian efforts to develop non-traditional weapons, U.S. official told U.S. New York Times.

"Intelligence agencies have strongly opposed a testimony that was due to be made by U.S. arms control chief John Bolton before the Congress ON Tuesday July 15," the U.S. Secretariat closely-related newspaper said Thursday July 17.

"Hearing has been postponed," the Times said, quoting some Congressmen and officials of the U.S. administration as saying, "The development of biological and chemical weapons by Syria has reached a point that represents a threat to stability in the Middle East."

Such an argument between the U.S. administration and the intelligence agencies is the most recent in a series of extended conflicts; the latest of which is the purchase of saturated uranium by Iraqi Baathi regime from Niger to develop nuclear weapons.

"The testimony has been postponed, as John Bolton went to attend a White House meeting," Brook Somers, spokeswoman of John Bolton’s bureau said during a phone call with New York Times.

A U.S. administration official who refused to be named said that Bolton’s draft testimony went far beyond what the U.S. administration had previously said about Syria’s program of developing non-traditional weapons.

He reiterated that the opposition of other U.S. intelligence agencies probably meant that "this is not the suitable time for moving" against Damascus.