Damascus  - The US embassy in Damascus announced that for security reasons it would be closed for the day Thursday as thousands of protesters in the Syrian capital demonstrated against the recent US commando raid on a Syrian village near the Iraqi border.

Carrying pictures of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, protestors denounced US President George W Bush, with signs bearing slogans such as: "Bush: The supporter of terrorism around the world."

Dozens of students from the Syrian region of Bokmal, the location of Sunday's raid, protested near the embassy, which was surrounded by Syrian riot police.

Damascus - The US embassy in Damascus is closing for one day on Thursday for security reasons, according to the embassy's website.

New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called Wednesday on Middle Eastern countries to cooperate to resolve issues such as border security following the reported US air raid inside Syria.

"The secretary general deeply regrets the loss of civilian lives in this incident and reiterates his earlier call for the need for regional cooperation to solve issues of common concern, including border security," UN spokeswoman Marie Okabe said.

Damascus - The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned on Wednesday the US charge d'affaires in protest at a military raid on Syria, Syrian news agency SANA reported.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said it was waiting for clarification from the Iraqi and US governments on the raid that killed eight people near Syria's border with Iraq. Syria called the raid "unacceptable for Syria's sovereignty" and said it could take measures in response. No further details were given.

Damascus - A Syrian court reduced the sentences for twelve political activists on Wednesday who had been handed six-year jail terms for "publishing false news and threatening Syria's national morale."

Syria last December arrested the activists for their association with an organization called "Damascus Declaration group."

Established in 2005, the group includes Syrian intellectuals and calls for democratic reform in Syria and the recognition of Lebanon as an independent state.

The Syrian court reduced the original prison sentence from six years to two and a half years.

Washington - The US raid against a top al-Qaeda operative this week in Syria was the latest effort by the Bush administration to step up pressure on the terrorist network, even by striking in countries without the approval of their governments.

Syria strongly protested the helicopter-borne attack on Sunday, 8 kilometres beyond the Iraqi border, where the United States is believed to have killed an al-Qaeda lieutenant responsible for smuggling fighters, weapons and money into Iraq.

The White House has not publicly acknowledged the attack. Damascus says that only civilians were killed.