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Obama: Syria still backing terrorists and seeking WMD
U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday he would extend a national state of emergency over Syria for another year, citing the Arab state's continuing support for terrorists and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.
Obama's decision means that despite Washington's recent attempts to ease tensions with Damascus, United States economic sanctions against Syria, introduced in May 2004, will remain in force.
"While the Syrian government has made some progress in suppressing networks of foreign fighters bound for Iraq, its actions and policies, including continuing support for terrorist organizations and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," Obama said in a statement.
In recent months the U.S. has met with frustration in its attempts to woo the government of President Bashar Assad away from its close ally Iran toward better ties with the West.