"The council of ministers condemns the threatening language and the baseless accusations levelled by certain American officials against Syria with the aim of striking a blow at its firm position, influence its decisions and it commitment to international legitimacy," SANA said.

"The council rejects these accusations and inaccurate allegations which respond to the demands of Israel and serve its objectives and expansionist aims," it added.

US officials, including President George W. Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell have variously accused Syria of possessing weapons of mass destruction, helping remnants of the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq to escape and supplying the regime with military equipment.

Powell said Monday that Washington was considering implementing economic and diplomatic sanctions against Damascus.

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