| Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield said Wednesday that "visits and statements are not enough," scorning Syria's apparent shift in dealing with "the Lebanese case." Meanwhile, in Lebanon, Damascus' new approach in dealing with Lebanon, characterized by the unusual flow of Syrian officials to Lebanon, was seen as a step in the right direction - even if it might only be an attempt to dispel international pressure. Commenting on the recent visits of Syrian officials here, Satterfield told the state funded Radio Sawa in Washington: "We are not interested in visits, climates or statements. We have gone past this stage a long time ago and so have the Lebanese. We are now interested in seeing fundamental change indicating that Syria is willing to comply with (UN) Security Council 1559." Satterfield said Syria has not made serious moves toward granting the Lebanese more independence or towards pulling out its 14,000 remaining troops from Lebanon, as mandated by Resolution 1559. He also denied Syrian and Lebanese claims that the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms are Lebanese and therefore fall under UN Resolution 425. |