Damascus  - A proposal to establish a new international school in Syria is being discussed between members of the foreign community and the government, diplomatic sources said Thursday.

Damascus had ordered the closure of a US school and a US cultural centre as a response to a US commando raid inside Syria on October 26.

Syria said four helicopters attacked a building near its border with Iraq, killing eight people. US officials said the target was a top al- Qaeda figure in Iraq.

Sources told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that more than 40 nationalities, including Syrians, had been enrolled in the US school.

Diplomatic sources told dpa that the issue is being discussed cautiously so that it would be announced to the public with an "international style that would not be linked to any specific country".

One of the proposals being considered would have Syrian businessmen fund the new school, along with other parties willing to contribute.

Such proposals are due to fears among foreigners that no school will open in the coming months due to "frozen" US-Syrian relations.

The shuttering of the school has been disruptive to the families of many diplomats, who have had to send their children back home to study. Also affected have been the families of Syrians working for foreign or international companies. (dpa)