Syria Says U.S. Ignored Cooperation Efforts

DAMASCUS, Syria —  Syria stopped security and military cooperation with the United States months ago because Washington failed to respond to repeated overtures from Damascus, Syria’s ambassador to the U.S. said Tuesday.

“There has been no cooperation between Syria and the United States on security and military matters simply because all attempts of cooperation between us and them have not led to a political result,” Imad Moustapha said in a telephone interview from Washington. He said Syria had not cooperated with the United States “for months.”

The United States accuses Syria of facilitating the Iraq insurgency and says Syria is not doing enough to stop the flow of fighters and funds into Iraq. Moustapha called the criticism unfair and said Syria was doing everything it could to control its porous border with Iraq.

In an interview with CNN, he added, “We do not want to be cooperating with the Americans on one front while being lambasted and attacked by the Americans on the other front.”

Syrian officials have said they offered to carry out joint U.S.-Syrian patrols along the border, but their overtures were ignored.

A senior U.S. military official has said that alleged Iraq insurgency mastermind Abu Musab Zarqawi met with his lieutenants in Syria last month.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Moustapha’s comments were “a step in the wrong direction.”