Lebanon refutes Rumsfeld on existence of terrorists in the Bekaa
Lebanon-USA, Politics, 1/10/2004

Lebanon has refuted statements attributed to the US secretary of state, Donald Rumsfeld, on the existence of what he called terrorists in the Bekaa area, considering such statements as mere illusions.

The Lebanese foreign minister Jean Obeid told journalists "I believe that the matter will be refuted by facts on the ground, the same as happened to Mr. Rumsfeld's allegations about mass destruction weapons."

News reports quoted on Thursday "American sources" saying that Rumsfeld is studying the possibility of sending special forces to Somalia, and the Lebanese Bekaa plain which is controlled by Syria to "detain terrorists."

On whether Rumsfeld's statement is an introduction to launch an American aggression against Lebanon and Syria, Obeid said "we do not know what is going in the head of Rumsfeldm but we think that Lebanon in this matter is free of all accusations." The minister stressed that "the State of Lebanon at all its levels will have the appropriate and convincing reply."

For his part, the Lebanese minister of information Michael Samaha described the hypothesis of the existence of terrorists in the Bekaa plain as just "illusions," and considered that the objective is to damage any positive and serious dialogue with the USA.

In press statements, the Lebanese minister asked Rumsfeld to talks with his country s embassy in Lebanon, especially as its team makes repeated visited to the Bekaa and other Lebanese areas. N.

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