Syrian FM: Israel has to withdraw from Lebanon unconditionally
Syria-Lebanon, Politics, 4/21/1998

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa said on Monday in a lecture at the Damascus Faculty of Letters within the course of the fifth cultural week run by the French department that Arab-European relations stretch back to historic times and the Arab universities of Granada (al-Andalus) were open to all Arabs and had not prevented the Europeans from obtaining knowledge and science.

Concerning the Israeli proposals on south Lebanon, al-Sharaa said: "If Israel wanted to withdraw from south Lebanon unconditionally in implementation of UN resolution 425, Syria, Lebanon, and the Lebanese national resistance welcome this initiative and view it as a victory. What Israel asks for of conditions to implement the said resolution are rejected because Israel wants to turn Lebanon's victory into defeat. Israel's proposal was rejected by Lebanon, Syria and the Arab countries which issued a resolution in this respect by their foreign ministers in Cairo in March."

The Syrian foreign minister added that if the Israeli prime minister wishes to have security, he should withdraw from the Golan and south Lebanon, adding that security cannot be available except through a just and comprehensive peace based on UN resolutions. He stressed that no pressures are exerted on Syria and Lebanon to implement UN resolution 425 in accordance with the Israeli conditions.

"Syria, and President Hafez al-Assad, in all cases, do not accept any pressure," he said.

Ambassadors from France, Britain, Algeria, and a number of Arab and foreign diplomatic corps in Damascus were present at the lecture.

Previous Stories:
  President Mubarak: European role should be a complement to US role   (4/16/1998)
  Assad: Israeli pledge to withdraw from the Golan deposited with the US   (4/16/1998)
  Syrian, Lebanese presidents reviewed latest developments   (4/14/1998)

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