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Secretary of state cautions Syria, IranTaking stand against terrorism would lead to U.S. aid, he says
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that the United States would demand that nations that have supported terrorism take responsibility. Powell singled out Syria and Iran, calling on the former to take a stronger stance against terrorism and the latter to stop its quest for weapons of mass destruction. "Tehran must stop pursuing weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them," he said of Iran. If Iran takes those steps, he said, the United States will continue to support the Iranian people so they can live in peace and security with their neighbors. Administration officials have long accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has confirmed that it has two nuclear facilities but says its program is aimed at building power plants, not weapons. (Full story) Iran was among the nations President Bush labelled the "axis of evil," along with Iraq and North Korea, in his State of the Union address in January 2002. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld accused Syria last week of allowing war materials, including night-vision goggles, to enter Iraq. (Full story) That puts Syria in a position to make a "critical choice," Powell said. "Syria can continue direct support for terrorist groups in the dying regime of [Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein, or it can embark on a different and more hopeful course," he said. "Either way, Syria bears responsibility for its choices and for the consequences." Syria disputed Rumsfeld's suggestion. "Indeed, it's baseless, untrue and unfair," the Syrian ambassador to the U.S., Rostom Al-Zoubi, told CNN on Sunday. "It did not occur," he said. "We respect and we are committed to international legitimacy, and Syria doesn't and did not do anything violating the international legitimacy." Powell issued the warning while addressing a conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobby group. He said that even as the world faces challenges to end terrorism, there are also opportunities to "lift millions out of misery." Those nations that make inroads toward peace and democracy will be rewarded, Powell said. In what President Bush calls "The Millennium Challenge," the United States will "put large sums of American money behind those countries that make a real commitment to democracy, to ruling justly, to investing in people, to embracing economic freedom," Powell said. That way, Powell said, Washington can help spur economic growth and further these nations along the road to prosperity.
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