Lebanese prime minister and Albright's statements
Lebanon-USA, Politics, 9/7/1999

Lebanese Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss has asserted that US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright informed him at the end of the talks she held with him in Beirut that the time for resuming Lebanese, Syrian and Israeli negotiations is still not here.

Al-Hoss told the London-based al-Hayat daily that he asked the US secretary of state whether she could set a date for resuming negotiations, as she has expressed satisfaction over the results of the tour she held and that she replied, "There is no fixed date for resuming it."

Lebanese official sources told the same paper, quoting al-Hoss, that Albright's satisfaction over the results of her tour also includes her talks with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, "despite the fact that the atmospheres created by the media are not so."

The sources considered that Albright's satisfaction lies in what she has felt from President al-Assad on Syria's readiness to launch the peace process at a time it expressed its optimism over the progress attained on the Palestinian - Israeli track and described it as an "achievement."

For its part, the London based al-Sharq al-Awsat said in its Monday issue that Albright raised during her talks with al-Hoss the question of foreign troops in Lebanon.

The paper quoted al-Hoss as saying he told Albright that Lebanon distinguishes between Israel's occupation of parts of its territories in south Lebanon and the Syrian presence and that Lebanon considers the Syrian presence as legal, according to a decision by an Arab summit in 1976 and at the request of the Lebanese president at that time, the late Elias Sarkis.

Al-Hoss told to Albright that the Syrian troops will stay in Lebanon as long as the Lebanese government finds it necessary to have these forces there.

Al-Hoss revealed that Albright asked for opening the issues of the Mafia, terrorism, kidnapping of hostages and the killing of the US ambassador in Lebanon in 1976, and that he explained to her that what had happened took place in a painful phase in the history of Lebanon, "And we do regret that such incidents took place."

Al-Hoss expressed wonder to learn that some mass media reported that Albright had a hard face following her talks in Beirut. He said, "She was very nice and looked pleased."

Previous Stories:
  April Understanding committee meets today on Lebanese complaints   (9/6/1999)
  Hizbullah rejects Albright's statements   (9/6/1999)
  Lebanese president for a just, durable peace   (9/6/1999)

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