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US Warns Businesses Against Taking Part in Damascus Fair

Associated Press

   BEIRUT - The United States warned businesses against taking part in an
   annual trade fair in the Syrian capital opening Wednesday, saying
   participants would expose themselves to the possibility of U.S.
   sanctions.
   Russia, a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, shot back,
   accusing the U.S. of undermining the reconstruction of Syria.
   In a statement posted on Twitter, the U.S. Embassy in Syria, which
   closed the mission early on in the country's eight-year civil war, said
   it has received reports that some regional businessmen or chambers of
   commerce plan to participate in the Damascus fair.
   "We reiterate our warning that anyone doing business with the Assad
   regime or its associates is exposing themselves to the possibility of
   U.S. sanctions," it said.

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