"Egypt rejects all threats against an Arab state," Maher told journalists in response to a question on mooted US sanctions against Syria, which Washington believes holds chemical weapons.

"We feel threats are not an appropriate way of dealing with a problem, if there really is one," he added, implicitly casting doubt on the US charge.

"Arab countries and the international community are unanimous on (the need) to avoid what happened in Iraq being repeated once again," the foreign minister said.

The United States has said Syria not only possesses chemical weapons, but also that it has given sanctuary to fleeing members of the overthrown Iraqi regime and organised Arab volunteers to fight for Iraq.

The charges come as US forces wind up the first, active military phase in Iraq, and alarm Middle East and European leaders who fear Damascus may be next on Washington's hit list.

"Nothing necessitates a repetition of this scenario," Maher told reporters.

A close aide to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Osama al-Baz, said Monday there is "a great difference between Syria and Iraq under (ousted president) Saddam Hussein", adding that Cairo was sure the former did not have chemical weapons.

Meanwhile, around 3,000 Egyptian students demonstrated peacefully Tuesday at the Islamic Al-Azhar University here, police said.

The students chanted slogans against the US government but remained on campus, where marches and rallies are tolerated.

Their protests against the United States had tapered off in past weeks following occasionally violent demonstrations in the early days of the US-led war against Iraq, which began March 20.

SPACE.WIRE