Suicide car bombing at Baghdad police station kills eight

DAMASCUS, Syria -- The preliminary U.S. congressional approval of sanctions against Syria sparked fierce condemnation from Damascus Thursday, with one Syrian official calling it a "biased and illogical act" that would damage U.S.-Syria relations and dim chances for peace in the Middle East.

The vote by the House International Relations Committee on Wednesday was a largely symbolic gesture -- but one that could lead to more damaging U.S. measures, Western diplomats said.

The bill, which accuses Syria of sponsoring terrorists, seeking weapons of mass destruction and occupying Lebanon with more than 20,000 troops, passed three days after Israeli warplanes struck an alleged Palestinian militant training camp outside Damascus. The attack came a day after an Islamic Jihad bomber killed 19 people in an Israeli restaurant.

Israel said Syria was partly responsible for the restaurant bombing, since Islamic Jihad had offices in Damascus and Syria supports the group. Syria has said it had closed the offices of extremist Palestinian groups.

Imad Mustapha, charge d'affaires at the Syrian Embassy in Washington, called the sanctions vote "a blatant double standard that can rarely be met in international diplomacy."

The measure itself will not have much economic impact on Syria. Diplomats estimate U.S.-Syrian trade at $300 million a year, and Syria is already under several U.S. restrictions because Washington considers it a state sponsor of terrorism.

But Wednesday's vote is meant to isolate Syria and more painful U.S. measures could follow, a Western diplomat said.

The Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act gives President Bush the right to impose a variety of sanctions on Syria, and accuses Syria of sponsoring terrorists, seeking weapons of mass destruction and occupying Lebanon with more than 20,000 troops.

It now goes to the full House, where it is expected to pass easily. It is also expected to pass the Senate with a comfortable majority.

The vote comes at a critical juncture in U.S.-Syrian relations. Washington is incensed that Syria has not kept its promise to crack down on the Palestinian militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups. The two factions are responsible for suicide attacks that have killed scores of Israelis and are considered terrorists by the United States.

Syria denies it supports terrorists, arguing Palestinians have the right to oppose Israeli occupation of their territories. It also believes it's not getting credit from Washington for its cooperation in the U.S. war against terrorism and expelling wanted Iraqis.

Mustapha said the progress of the bill in Congress will antagonize Arabs further toward the United States because it makes Washington look like "a blind ally to Israel."

"It will damage prospects for peace in the Mideast," said Mustapha. "It will damage U.S. standing in the Middle East."

He said passage of the bill "is another green light to Israelis to go further in their policies."

"It gives fuel to radicals and extremists in Israel," Mustapha said.

The Western diplomat said the vote is a warning to Syria that it will pay a price if it continues to harbor groups such as Islamic Jihad and Hamas.

The diplomat said Washington may push for more punitive measures to further embarrass and isolate Syria. It could pressure the European Union to put on hold a preferential trade agreement Syria badly wants, exclude Syria from Mideast peace negotiations and put an end to the small amount of trade between Syria and Iraq, estimated at $20 million a year. Syria wants the return of the Golan Heights, which it lost to Israel in 1967.

Another diplomat said Syria can avoid an escalation with Washington if it genuinely cooperates with the United States.

Condemnation of the House committee vote came from the Arab League in Cairo on Thursday. The league said it would "increase the tension in the region and make the chances for peace more remote."

"It also makes more difficult a dialogue between Syria, as a main power broker in the region, and the United States," the league said in a statement.

League Secretary-General Amr Moussa "is very worried about these baseless accusations against Syria," the statement said.