Washington, Oct 06: US President George W Bush came close to endorsing the Israeli attack on a purported Islamic jihad camp deep inside Syria when he telephoned Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon after the air strike. Bush called Sharon yesterday after the attack on Syria "mainly to express his condolences for the terrorist attack in Haifa" by a Palestinian female suicide bomber in which as many as 19 Israelis were killed, an administration official said. "They (Bush and Sharon) agreed on the need to continue fighting terrorism," he said. "They did discuss the attack on the terrorist camp in Syria and agreed on the need to avoid heightening tensions in the region at this time." The Washington Post quoted "sources" as saying that Bush did not tell Sharon the attack was a mistake, and publicly the administration offered no criticism of the strike, which deepened concerns of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict spreading to the neighbouring countries. "We have repeatedly told the government of Syria that it is on the wrong side of the war on terror and that it must stop harbouring terrorists," a senior administration official told the Post. "That is still our view."
The official added: "we urge both Israel and Syria to avoid actions that could heighten tensions or could lead to hostilities."
US and Israeli officials said that Israel did not warn the Bush administration that it was planning to attack inside Syria.
Bureau Report