Swedish foreign minister pessimistic about peace prospects
Lebanon, Politics, 2/14/1998

Swedish foreign minister Lena Hjelm-Wallen expressed pessimism regarding prospects for peace in the region and called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis with Baghdad after talks with Lebanese officials Friday.

Wallen had arrived in Beirut at dawn Friday and began her day with talks with Foreign Minister Fares Boueiz.

"My visit aims at discussing the peace process in the Middle East and the crisis between the United Nations and Iraq, which we hope will be solved through diplomatic channels," she said at a joint press conference with her Lebanese counterpart.

"The solution (to the Iraqi crisis) is for President Saddam Hussein to fully comply with Security Council resolutions which allow for the inspection of weapons of mass destruction and their elimination," she added.

Wallen said there are 35,000 Lebanese living in Sweden and said her country supported the Lebanese in south Lebanon, urging Israel to withdraw from the border zone it occupies in the south of the country.

Asked about chances for peace in the region, Wallen said she was "very pessimistic" regarding progress in peace negotiations. "We should work on returning the peace process to the right track," she said, adding that her country had no intention of playing the role of mediator in any peace talks between Israel and the Arabs.

Wallen, on her first visit to Lebanon, also met with President Elias Hrawi, House Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Previous Stories:
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  Lebanese Prime Minister leaves for Azerbaijan   (2/11/1998)
  Bulgaria, Lebanon for bolstering bilateral cooperation   (2/11/1998)

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