Lahoud: we will not give security guarantees to Israel in the absence of peace
Lebanon-Israel, Politics, 9/27/2001

Lebanese President Emil Lahoud has praised the national role played by Syria in Lebanon. He said that Syria plays a positive role on the Lebanese arena and supports the attitudes of the Lebanese state and its strategic policies.

During his meeting in Beirut on Wednesday with a delegation representing the International press society in France, the Lebanese President said that the Middle East region will not know peace unless Syria restores back all the occupied Golan, the Shebaa farms returned back to Lebanon and the Palestinians restore back their rights and territories and establish their own independent state with holy Jerusalem as a capital.

The Lebanese President renewed his condemnation to the Israeli warplanes violations of the Lebanese airspace. He said:" we consider these violation as aggressive acts and a flagrant violation to the Lebanese sovereignty, noting that if such Israeli acts will continue, it will be the rights of the Lebanese army and national resistance to struggle until maintaining liberation. He simultaneously stressed Lebanon's rejection to deploy its forces in South Lebanon unless just and comprehensive peace is attained."

He explained:" our national interest lies in not giving security guarantees to Israel in the absence of a peace as such." The Lebanese President also renewed his rejection to all sorts of terrorism and to the attacks against the US. He said that Lebanon is concerned with fighting all sorts of terrorism. Noting that Lebanon makes a distinction between terrorism and the legitimate resistance, considering that Lebanon does not accept violation of legitimate right of peoples, especially the right to resistance for liberating the lands and withstanding foreign aggressions against the state sovereignty.

On the other hand, the Lebanese President underlined the importance of convening the Franchofonic summit in Beirut by the end of October. He said that convening this summit will be an important event and it will tackle the issue of inter- culture dialogue.

Previous Stories:
  UNIFIL protests over Israeli warplanes violations   (9/26/2001)
  Israeli planes violate the Lebanese airspace   (9/25/2001)
  Israel fortifies its positions facing the Lebanese area   (9/21/2001)

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