US President George W. Bush signed an order on Tuesday imposing sanctions on Syria to punish Damascus for allegedly supporting terrorism and failing to addressother US concerns.

The sanctions reportedly include a ban on all US exports to Syria except for food and medicine, a ban on flights to and from the United States, authorization to the US Treasury Department to freeze assets of certain Syrian nationals and entities, and restrictions on banking relations between the two countries.

In a statement circulated by the White House, President Bush accused Syria of "supporting terrorism, continuing its occupation of Lebanon, pursuing weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, and undermining United States and international efforts with respect to the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq."

Bush said that Syria's behaviors "constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, andeconomy of the United States and hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat."

He said the sanctions came after many months of diplomatic efforts to convince Damascus to change "its unacceptable behavior."

"The Syrian government has failed to take significant, concretesteps to address these concerns," Bush said in the statement.

The sanctions were imposed under the so-called Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, which Bush signed into law last December.

The act, pushed by US Congress, bans any transfer of "duel-use"technology to Syria and provides President Bush with a list of sixother sanctions from which he is obliged to select at least two.

The options include a comprehensive ban on exports to Syria, prohibition of US investment in the country, a freeze on Syria's assets in the United States, limits on Syrian airline flights in the United States, a reduction on diplomatic contacts with Syria, and travel restrictions on Syrian diplomats in New York and Washington D.C.

In anticipation of the sanctions, Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji al-Otari said in Damascus earlier Tuesday that his country was capable of facing foreign challenges and overcoming their ramifications.

Source: Xinhua