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Syria pours scorn on U.S.

DAMASCUS APRIL 1. Ratcheting up the war of words with Washington, Syria on Tuesday called the U.S.-British invasion of Iraq a `fiasco' and suggested American officials be tried for crimes against humanity.

The English-language Syria Times — one of several state-run newspapers — said in an editorial that the invasion had proven to be a `major embarrassment' for the U.S. military and had led to anti-U.S. sentiments reaching `unprecedented levels.'

"The only way out is to stop the war immediately and hold those responsible for it `accountable' for their crimes against humanity," the newspaper said. In a speech on Sunday, the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, said "Syria now faces a critical choice" of whether to continue supporting terrorism `in the dying days' of Saddam Hussein's regime, suggesting it would face grave consequences.

A Syrian Foreign Ministry official responded on Monday by saying Syria ``has chosen to stand by the Iraqi people who are facing an illegitimate and unjustified invasion.''

Commenting on Mr. Powell's warning, the paper said Mr. Powell had a choice of his own to make: ``He can continue direct support for the military in the invasion of Iraq, or he can embark on a different and more hopeful course and quit. ...

``U.S. officials must accept full responsibility for the aggression fiasco,'' it said. Another Syrian newspaper, the Baath daily, said Syria ``does not need (U.S.) advice. ``Syria is standing by itself and its nation by rejecting another aggression in the region,'' it said. — AP

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