Washington has no plan to attack Syria, says Powell

US SECRETARY of State Colin Powell said yesterday the United States had concerns about the policies of Iran and Syria but it had no "war plan" to attack them or other nations.

The comments appeared designed to quell fears in the region that following its military defeat of Iraq the US might consider moving against Syria or Iran, which it also accuses of developing weapons of mass destruction.

"We have concerns about Syria. We have let Syria know of our concerns. We also have concerns about some of the policies of Iran. We have made the Iranians fully aware of our concerns," Powell told reporters.

"But there is no list, there is no war plan right now to go attack someone else either for the purpose of overthrowing their leadership or for the purpose of imposing democratic values," Powell said.

Top US officials have accused Syria of giving sanctuary to fleeing Iraqi officials and of assisting Saddam Hussein in his effort to defend Iraq against the US invasion, which has been largely completed within a month.

While repeating some of these accusations, Powell appeared to draw a distinction between US concerns about Syria and Iran and those about Saddam's Iraq, which he described as a "unique case."

"It was a dictator terrorising his people, raping and pillaging his own people, wasting his treasure but beyond that invading his neighbours and threatening the whole world with weapons of mass destruction," he said.

The US said on Monday it may consider imposing economic, diplomatic and other unspecified sanctions against Damascus if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad failed to take what it called the right decisions.

Powell's comments appeared to water down the robust accusations of US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld on Monday. Rumsfeld said that Syria had conducted chemical weapons tests in the past year. Rumsfeld said the US had included Syria on its State Department list of State-sponsors of terrorism, and had denounced it as a rogue state.

However, both Spain and Britain, crucial US allies in the war in Iraq, have refused to back the US claims.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, on a visit to Central Command in Qatar, refused to back Washington's line, saying Syria was run by "intelligent people who have the future interest and welfare of their country at heart." Spain another key US ally in the Iraq war said Syria was a friend of Spain and ruled out military action against Damascus.

The US has also faced disapproval over its stance from France, the EU and Russia. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has expressed concern that recent statements about Syria may further destabilise the Middle East, while the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Musa, said he was astounded by the threats.

Syria has refuted US allegations that it is developing chemical weapons, saying such claims are designed to further the interests of Israel. A statement released by the Syrian Government condemned US "threats and falsifications," saying that the "escalated language of threats and accusations by some American officials against Syria" was aimed at "damaging its steadfastness."

"The cabinet rejected these accusations and allegations and saw them as a response to Israeli stimulus and a service to its (Israel's) goals and expansive greed," the statement added.

Separately, Syrian State-run radio said "the Israeli aggression on the Arabs, in the context of the US war on Iraq and its consequences has taken a more dangerous and fierce nature."

Ties between the US and Syria have long been strained by US support for Israel and Syria's backing of the Lebanese group Hezbollah.