Washington commends Syria on the Iraqi level, criticizes it at the Lebanese, Palestinian levels

The US stressed yesterday that Syria has achieved a progress over its own demands concerning the Iraqi file and that it failed in two other axes embodied in stopping support for the Palestinian resistance and its withdrawal from the Lebanese territories.

The spokesman for the US Department Of State Richard Boucher said that Damascus has "completed" some steps in observing its borders with Iraq and halting the passage of fighters from it.

He stressed that the "issue of the Palestinian groups which work from Damascus and the question of persons who are still able to move remain open and we did not see matters progressing much" in this regard.

Boucher denied any progress in the Lebanese file especially after the release of the UN Security Council resolution 1559 that provides for the withdrawal of the Syrian forces from the Lebanese territories.

Beirut deplored statements made by the US under secretary of state Richard Armitage in which he said that the new Lebanese government which was formed by Omar Karami is Syrian-made.

The new Lebanese minister of information Eli Ferzli said on Wednesday -- replying to these statements -- Beirut is not in need to lessons from the American officials. The Lebanese minister explained that Armitage ignores that Karami "is the son of Abdul Hamid Karami, one of the founders of the Lebanese independence." In September, the UN security council called on Syria, not mentioning it by name to withdraw its forces from Lebanon. Both Beirut and Damascus denounced the UN Security Council resolution and described it as an intervention in their own internal affairs.