U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered that economic sanctions against Syria be extended for another year, the White House said on its website on Tuesday.

"While the Syrian government has made some progress in suppressing foreign fighter networks infiltrating suicide bombers into Iraq, its actions and polices, including continuing support for terrorist organizations and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," the U.S. president said.

The sanctions were imposed in May 2004 by then president George Bush, who accused Damascus of supporting terrorism, running programs to create weapons of mass destruction and undermining U.S. efforts to stabilize Iraq.

The sanctions ban weapons supplies to Syria, restrict U.S. trade with the country, and freeze the accounts of those suspected of helping Syria shelter prominent terrorists, or of being involved in the development of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.
sections: Politics, World News