Syria media deny Assad dissident pledge to US lawmaker
DAMASCUS (AFP) — Syrian official media poured scorn late on Tuesday on comments by a visiting US Congressman that he had secured an undertaking from President Bashar al-Assad to free seven jailed dissidents.
Syria "denies the statement by House of Represenatives member Patrick Kennedy that he raised the issue of certain detainees during his meetings with Syrian officials," the state SANA news agency cited an "official source" as saying.
"Syria refuses categorically to discuss its internal affairs with any foreign official. All that a foreign official can do is to be briefed about the situation in Syria in general and to listen to answers.
"No one has the right to interfere in Syria's internal affairs," the official source said.
After talks with Assad on Sunday, Kennedy told a news conference that he had secured an undertaking that Syria would free the seven dissidents, whose arrest last month drew strong criticism from the White House.
"The president said that they would be released," Kennedy told reporters.
"(He named) Akram Bunni, Walid Bunni, Jaber Shufi, Ali Abdullah, Fidaa Horani, Mohammad Yasser Aiti and Ahmed Tohmeh. The president assured me personally that they were (to be) released."
The seven opposition figures had signed a "Damascus Declaration" calling for radical change that united communist, nationalist, liberal and Kurdish parties and formed a National Council to press for its implementation.
US President George W. Bush last month applauded the formation of the opposition grouping, saying "the brave men and women who formed this council reflect the desires of the majority of Syrian people to live in freedom, democracy, and peace." He roundly condemned the arrests.
Kennedy, a Democrat, visited Damascus alongside Senator Arlen Specter of Bush's Republican Party. They held talks on Saturday with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem ahead of the meeting with Assad.
The two Congressmen had struck an upbeat note after their meetings, that contrasted with that of US President George W. Bush early last month. He had ruled out direct talks with Damascus, saying: "My patience ran out on President Assad a long time ago."
Specter said he saw scope for progress in the peace process between Syria and Israel, which has been frozen since 2000.
"Syrians and Israelis are in a position to proceed to have a peace treaty," he said.
