Interview with Syrian ambassador about the cross border raid

The U.S. commando raid earlier this week on a Syrian town that borders Iraq has prompted a backlash in both Damascus and Baghdad. In the Syrian capital, a few hundred people protested about a mile from the American Embassy on Thursday, while the Syrian government demanded an apology and compensation for victims of the raid. In Baghdad, key Iraqi politicians engaged in negotiating a security agreement with the United States"which had been progressing slowly even before the strike"are now seeking to deny explicitly the use of Iraq as a staging ground for attacks on other nations. Security sources have said that the target of the raid was a top Al Qaeda smuggler who goes by the name Abu Ghadiyah, but the U.S. military has not issued an official account, and details are still scant. In an interview with NEWSWEEK's Dan Ephron, Syria's ambassador to Washington, Imad Moustapha, said that the dead were all civilians. He also spoke about the raid, his country's talks with Israel and other issues.