¡¡¡¡DAMASCUS, April 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Countering the mounting US pressure, Syria said Wednesday it will submit a draft resolution to the United Nations calling for ridding the Mideast of mass destruction weapons.

¡¡¡¡"If the United States and others are worried about mass destruction weapons, chemical, nuclear or biological passing into the hands of terrorists we would like this to be materialized by a draft resolution," said Bussaina Shaaban, director of Syrian Foreign Ministry's Information Department.

¡¡¡¡He said Syria has got the approval of the Arab group in the UN to submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council very soon "to make the Middle East a zone free of all mass destruction weapons."

¡¡¡¡Syria, which has held a rotating seat on the council since January 2002, has come under growing US accusations in the past days of supporting the demised Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein, harboring fugitive Iraqi officials and having chemical weapons.

¡¡¡¡The US allegations have led to fear that Syria could be the next target on the US "hit list" after the fall of Saddam's regime.

¡¡¡¡Syria has strongly denied the US allegations, saying it has no weapons of mass destruction and the only country in the region which possess them is its arch enemy and US ally, Israel.

¡¡¡¡Shaaban also denied that Damascus has provided safe heaven for fleeing top Iraqi officials.

¡¡¡¡"Allegations of Syria providing refuge to some symbols of the Iraqi regime are absolutely groundless," said Shaaban, adding that the two countries had never had good relations because the Saddam regime had mistreated many Syrians in the past. Enditem ¡¡