Syria renews commitment to the Taif accord, concerning the Lebanese crisis

The Syrian foreign minister Farouk al-Shara said on Sunday in a press conference held in Cairo that his country is committed to implement all particularities concerning Syria in the Taif accord, stressing that this is considered an indirect implementation of the UN Security Council resolution 1559.

Al-Shara said following talks with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that "the Taif accord has become a constitution and we are careful to abide by this agreement and to implement all matters pertinent to Syria." He indicated that the Taif accord wins Arab consensus and the international support, noting that several reasons pertinent to Syria and Lebanon "delay the implementation of certain articles of Taif accord."

However, al-Shara did not declare frank commitment to the pull out of all the Syrian forces from Lebanon. He said "we support Lebanon with all its social strata and components, whether the Syrian forces stay in the Bekaa according to Taif accord or not."