|
Damascus and Beirut have begun discreet negotiation over a full scale
Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, in accordance with UN resolutions.
Maariv International
Damascus and Beirut have begun discreet negotiation over a full scale
Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, in accordance with UN resolutions.
Western intelligence sources report that the Syrian and Lebanese
general staffs have begun putting a plan together for the withdrawal of
all 13,000 Syrian troops from Lebanon within six months.
Last month, after the US and France threatened UN sanctions over the
matter, Syrian foreign minister Farouk a’ Shara informed his US
counterpart Colin Powell of Damascus’s willingness to leave Lebanon.
Initially Syria tried to negotiate an agreement which would allow it to
keep 3,00 troops in Lebanon, to operate and guard its four radar
stations at Mt. Barukh and Mt. Sanin in central Lebanon, one at the
Dahar al Baidar key point commanding the Beirut-Damascus highway and the
fourth at Bsharri in the north.
However after it became clear that the US was not in a mood to give
Damascus any freebies, President Assad agreed to a total withdrawal from
Lebanon.
Both the US and France have made it clear to Damascus, via UN envoy
Terje Roed-Larsen that they will not tolerate in Syrian meddling by
proxy in Lebanese affairs. In a recent three hour meeting with Assad,
Larsen told Assad that the for both the US and France, a clean and free
election in Lebanon was a sine qua non, and that any attempt by Syria to
subvert the electoral process in any way, via gerrymandering or coercion
would bring the wrath of Washington and Paris on his head.
He also informed Assad that the US is committed to ensuring that
whatever government is elected in Beirut will be able to assert its
sovereignty throughout the country. In diplomatic code this means the
disarming and neutralizing of Hezbollah. He told Assad that Washington
would demand full implementation of Resolution 1559, which calls for the
disarming of Hezbollah, meaning that if this is not done the US would
refer the matter to the Security Council, which would apply sanctions.
Larsen also carried a message from French President Jaques Chirac,
telling Assad that Paris would not stand for the ballot being used to
“jeopardize or eclipse” France’s best ally in Lebanon, former prime
minister Rafiq Hariri, or moves against his power bases in Beirut and
the southern port city of Sidon.
A subsequent message was relayed directly by a personal emissary of
Chirac, who told Assad bluntly that France would not tolerate any Syrian
shenanigans in Lebanon, particularly any further mischief to veteran
Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt., following an attempt by Syrian
intelligence agents to assassinate him and his deputy Marwan Hamdan last
month. Western intelligence sources have obtained smoking gun evidence
implicating Syria in the unsuccessful assassination attempt. |
