Arab FMs reject attempt to break Syrian-Lebanese ties
15/9/2004 11:14
Arab foreign ministers on Tuesday voiced "full solidarity" with
Lebanon against any attempt to sever its ties with Syria.
"The ministers show
full solidarity with Lebanon against any attempt to hit historic relations with
Syria," said a statement issued at the end of a regular meeting of Arab foreign
ministers in Cairo.
The ministers also renewed their rejection to a
unilateral US sanction against Syria, the statement said.
On Sept. 2, the
United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution demanding respect for
Lebanon's political independence and withdrawal of Syrian forces from the
country.
The United States, which accuses Syria of exerting too much
influence over extending Lebanese incumbent President Emile Lahoud 's six-year
term, has circulated a draft resolution to other Security Council
members.
Syria sent troops to help quell a year-old civil war in Lebanon in
1976 and the forces remained through 14 years of fighting and are still deployed
in the country.
Lebanon's government has reiterated that the presence of the
Syrian army has been a stabilizing factor since its 1975-90 civil
war.
According to the statement, the ministers warned against one more wave
of Palestinian exodus due to Israeli aggressions in the occupied
territories.
"Israeli move, including the construction of the separation wall
snaking into the West Bank, could lead to a fresh wave of forced migration," it
said.
The ministers also said that a proposed Israeli withdrawal from the
Gaza Strip would be conducive to further pullouts from the occupied Palestinian
territories.
They also condemns any unilateral Israeli measures without
coordination with the Palestinian National Authority, while pressing for
providing an international protection force for the Palestinians.
On the
Iraqi issue, they underlined the need to maintain Iraq's territorial integrity
and respect for its sovereignty and independence as well as honor commitment to
avoiding any interference in Iraq's internal affairs.
They condemned all acts
of terror in Iraq that target civilians and police and security men and
abductions undertaken by " terrorist" groups, particularly of those civilians
working in Arab and foreign companies that rebuild Iraq.
The ministers also
denounced air bombings and other military operations targeting Iraqi civilians
and resulting in death of many innocent civilians, and called for putting an end
to such acts.
They also stressed the importance of Arab presence in Iraq as
well as resumption of diplomatic relations with Iraq in a bid to sustain
political efforts being exerted by the interim Iraqi government in this
area.
On the Sudanese issue, the ministers called for maintaining Sudan's
territorial integrity, and said that they would rally regional and international
efforts to secure a peace settlement to the Sudanese issue.
Xinhua
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