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Syria threatens UN if observers deployed along Lebanese border
Syria has reiterated its warning against the possibility of deploying U.N. observers along its border with Lebanon, saying such a move would sabotage Lebanese-Syrian relations. The threat came as U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon started a delicate mission to Syria for talks with President Bashar Assad on the planned international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes. The daily As Safir on Tuesday, citing Lebanese officials who visited Damascus on the eve of Ban's trip, said the Syrian leadership has cautioned against "stationing civilian or military U.N. observers along the Syrian border because this would certainly lead to measures (to be taken) by Syria that will not be in the interest of either country or people." "If there is a desire to improve (Lebanon-Syrian) relations . this should take place by mutual consent," one source told As Safir. The source quoted the Syrian leadership as saying that no world power "would then be able to force Syria to establish brotherly relations with Lebanon when a political war is being launched against it by some forces in the Lebanese ruling majority." Damascus also opposes the planned deployment of U.N. observers on the Lebanon-Syria border to prevent the movement of arms to Hizbullah which last summer fought a 34-day with Israel. Assad to the US: "Send more Congressional delegations!" Syrian daily Al Watan said that "if the goal ... is to convince Syria to accept the international tribunal and deployment of the international force, the results could be the same as those of U.N. legal adviser Nicolas Michel to Beirut." Posted by: mrp 2007-04-24 |
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