Egypt says Israel behind U.S. pressure on Syria/msnbc/reuters/CAIRO, April 16

http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters04-16-105214.asp?reg=MIDEAST

Egypt says Israel behind U.S. pressure on Syria

CAIRO, April 16 A senior adviser to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak accused Israel on Wednesday of instigating a campaign of U.S. threats against Syria to force Damascus to make political concessions to the Jewish state.

Osama el-Baz also urged Israel, in remarks carried by the official Middle East News Agency (MENA), to prepare to withdraw from occupied Arab lands.

''Concerning threats to Syria, Baz said the threats were aimed at pressuring Syria and twisting its arm to go along with certain proposals..., explaining that Israel was the instigator,'' MENA said.

The United States has turned up pressure on Syria during its war against Iraq, accusing Damascus of harbouring former aides to deposed President Saddam Hussein, of developing chemical weapons and of supporting ''terrorist'' groups.

Secretary of State Colin Powell has said Washington has no war plan to attack Syria but is considering political and economic measures to force it to comply.

Israel has long demanded that Damascus end its backing for Lebanese militant movement Hizbollah and Palestinian radical groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, responsible for many attacks on the Jewish state.

Egypt, which became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has kept lukewarm relations with the Jewish state.

Baz urged Israel not to waste the chance for ''a true co-existence with the Arabs,'' adding that Israel must be ready to withdraw completely from the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war.