A Syrian MP said Monday that he had been refused entry to the United States upon arrival in Washington earlier this month. On December 13, Mohammed Habash flew into Dulles International Airport, where US airport authorities refused to accept his entrance visa, which he said was valid until 2006 and issued by the US embassy in Damascus. Habash said he was informed that new regulations for Syrians travelling to the United States require "authorisation from the US Secretary of State".
Bwahahaha!!
As director of the Islamic centre of studies in Damascus, which supports dialogue with the West, Habash is a frequent visitor to the United States. He criticised his treatment as "inappropriate" for an MP. "They seem to completely ignore diverse schools of thought. We represent an open Islamist current, we reject violence and we do not justify the terrorist acts happening in Iraq," he said. In May, Washington slapped sanctions against Damascus, accusing Syria of bank-rolling terrorism and trying to develop weapons of mass destruction. | A little diplomatic arm twisting going on? |
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