"Iraq is one thing, and Syria is another," Dakhlallah told RIA Novosti in an interview. "Syria does not have unresolved problems with any state. It does not possess weapons of mass destruction; [it] did not attack anyone and did not occupy any foreign territories."
The minister stressed that Syria had excellent relations with Russia and other European and Arab states. "So the situation cannot even be compared," he said.
Dakhlallah said that dialogue with the United States was the only way to settle differences.
The minister said Syria was witnessing hard times but the pressure on the country had nothing to do with Prime Minister Rafik Khariri's murder. "Syria was under pressure even before Khariri's murder. The reason was that when Syria was a UN Security Council member, it opposed the policy of aggression and the occupation of Iraq."
Dakhlallah said the unity of Syrian society would enable the country to face its challenges.
