Syria 'fed up' with US's public bashing

New York, Oct. 10 (PTI): Syria has expressed willingness to cooperate with the United States in matters of security and intelligence information sharing, if America stops its public tongue-lashing of Damascus.

Damascus ended all security and intelligence cooperation with America several months ago, Syrian Ambassador to the United States Imad Moustapha was today quoted as saying in an interview by the 'Newsweek' magazine.

Moustapha said while Damascus will continue to detain Islamic extremists on its own, it got "fed up" with the Bush administration's public bashing of president Bashar al-Assad, even after Washington had privately lauded Syria for handing over Saddam's half brother, Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hasan.

Newsweek says it also confirmed the account from a US intelligence official who said Damascus was angered when Washington exposed one of its operatives.

"We are willing to re-engage the moment you want - but one condition, you have to acknowledge that we are helping," Moustapha told the magazine