Washington: al-Assad's speech appalling

The USA criticized the speech delivered by Syria's President Bahar al-Assad on Thursday, and accused Damascus of not collaborating with the UN investigation committee to the murder of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri.

The US secretary of state Condaleezza Rice said in her commentary on the speech of President al-Assad that "Damascus continues its non- cooperation in the murder of al-Hariri." Rice called on Syria to be more clear and to give up negotiations "and to start collaboration with the UN investigator Detlev Mehlis, according to UN resolution 1636.

However, a spokesman for the US Department Of State described al-Assad's speech as appalling and constitutes a defiance to the UN Security Council resolutions. Adam Ereli said: "we saw the speech. We think it is appalling. Let's remember, first of all, that the international community has made it clear to Syria that it must, first, fully cooperate with the Mehlis investigation. And second, cease all interference in Lebanese domestic affairs. That's the clear and unmistakable message of three UN Security Council resolutions: 1559, 1565 and 1636. Assad's remarks today can only be seen as a defiance of those resolutions."

As the Secretary said, it doesn't constitute cooperation by any stretch of the imagination. And I think it is something that is just outrageous and appalling that he would threaten Lebanon like that, especially in light of the three Security Council resolutions and it shows that the regime of President al-Assad just doesn't get it and doesn't understand where the rest of the international community is on this very important issue.

Ereli was asked "What is it that you perceive or where is it that you perceive him threatening Lebanon?" Ereli answered "Well, I would refer you to the speech where he says that Lebanon is a platform and a factory for conspiracies, where he insults the Prime Minister of Lebanon. These are not the remarks of a country and a neighbor that is respectful of Lebanon and Lebanon's sovereignty and Lebanon's independence."

Ereli was asked "It's a pretty long way, isn't it, from not being respectful towards a country to actually threatening them? I mean, a threat normally involves -- if you don't do this or -- and we're going to do that. It's something along those lines rather than, wow, that's a really bad place with lots of conspiracies and we don't like the Prime Minister --." Ereli answered "Let me put it this way. The remarks of President al-Assad are clearly inconsistent with the substance and import of three UN Security Council resolutions."

Ereli was asked "I'm just trying to elaborate your own word. I wonder if your second answer means you're now trying -- you know, you want to -- you could move away from that word or it is that you do perceive that he is saying, we will do something bad against Lebanon? Ereli answered "I will say this. The remarks that -- President Assad's speech -- that he made in his speech, and its implied approval of interference in Lebanese affairs, is not consistent with three UN Security Council resolutions that have all demanded that Syria refrain from interfering in Lebanon's affairs and have ordered Syria to respect Lebanese sovereignty. And that's not what we heard in the speech and that should be of concern to all of us."

Meantime, for his part, the French President Jacques Chirac loomed to impose UN sanctions on Syria if it does not collaborate with the UN investigation committee.