Syria: No decision on militant groups

CAIRO, Egypt - Syria has made no final decision about restricting Palestinian militant groups operating on its soil, President Bashar Assad said.

Assad's remarks, made in an interview with Newsweek magazine posted on its Web site Saturday, indicated Syria had not closed the militants' offices in Damascus. Assad suggested any crackdown on the groups was linked to progress on resuming peace talks with Israel.

After meeting Assad on May 3, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Syria told him it had closed the offices of several Palestinian groups. U.S. officials accompanying him identified the groups as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, considered by the United States and Israel as terrorist organizations.

In the Newsweek interview, Assad said he discussed with Powell stopping the activities of Palestinian groups, "not closures."

"These are not offices really. They are houses where these groups do media activities," Assad was quoted as saying. "But restricting them is related to the Golan - to resuming the peace talks on the Syrian track."

Assad sounded pessimistic about the chances of peace under the Israeli leadership.

"We don't trust (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon because he definitely doesn't want to make peace," he said.

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