Syria said on Saturday it wants a frank and constructive dialogue with the US, a day after US President George W. Bush signed a law that threatens diplomatic and economic sanctions against the Arab state.
The official Syrian Arab News Agency said President Bashar al-Assad's talks with a US Homeland Security Committee delegation led by Republican Christopher Cox dealt with combating terrorism and the Arab-Israeli peace process.
It said the talks tackled "the necessity for establishing a clear, constructive and reasonable dialogue."
Cox told a news conference after what he said was a very constructive meeting that he was encouraged "that there is a prospect for getting Syrian-US relations back on track".
But he added: "I can't say that I sensed that there was a diplomatic breakthrough today ... I can report back from those discussions that the president fully appreciates -- which is a different word than agrees with -- the American position."
Washington accuses Syria of ignoring its requests to crack down on Palestinian and Lebanese guerrilla groups and has long included Syria on a list of states that sponsor terrorism.
The bill authorizes Bush to bar trade in items that could be used in weapons programs until the administration certifies that Syria is not supporting terror groups, has withdrawn its military from Lebanon, is not developing unconventional weapons and has secured its border with Iraq.
"Assad expressed his view, which I share, that this legislation can be viewed as a glass half full rather than a glass half empty. Because if these points of disagreement can be worked on and resolved the legislation itself contains an expression of American policy that we want to have expanded relations with Syria," Cox said.
"He [Assad] also went out of his way to be as agreeable as he could with our basic assumptions about fighting terrorism and the importance of working together," he added.
Earlier on Saturday, Syrian officials said the US law was futile and lacked justification.
"Concerning US companies ... if they leave Syria it will not have any negative effect. We can continue the work without any effect," Oil Minister Ibrahim Haddad said in Cairo, though he acknowledged the move could block new US investment.
The state-run radio said implementing the penalties would be "an obstacle in the face of the promotion of Syrian-US ties" and warned that it "might only result in more tensions instead of searching for common factors to achieve stability."
The tough US stance contrasts with that of the EU, which announced a breakthrough in talks to agree a political and economic cooperation pact earlier this week.
An EU official said the pact allows for dialogue with Syria on terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and human rights.
Syria's Expatriates Minister Buthaina Shaaban, speaking before Bush signed the legislation, said in remarks aired on Saturday that there was no justification for the US bill.
She told Dubai-based Al Arabiya television that the law was passed because of Syria's opposition to Israeli occupation of Arab land and its support for the Palestinian uprising.
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