DAMASCUS, 12 September 2004 — Syria must withdraw from Lebanon and halt the activities of militant groups based in Syria, a senior US State Department official said after talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad yesterday.
William Burns, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, said he had had frank and detailed talks with Bashar and had underlined Washington’s “deep concern over Syrian intervention in the Lebanese political process.”
But he also said bilateral relations could change course with “positive results” if Bashar complied with Washington’s demands.
Washington imposed economic sanctions on Syria in May for supporting Palestinian groups and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, refusing to renounce weapons of mass destruction and keeping 17,000 troops in Lebanon.
“Syria must end its interference in Lebanese internal affairs, withdraw its forces from Lebanon and allow the Lebanese armed forces and government to establish their authority throughout Lebanon,” Burns told reporters after the talks.
The UN Security Council passed a resolution earlier this month, drafted by Washington and Paris, calling on all foreign forces to leave Lebanon, militias to disband and foreign governments to respect Lebanese sovereignty.
Burns said he also discussed stability in Iraq and the prospects of cooperation between US, Iraqi and Syrian military experts to ensure security in Iraq, Syria’s eastern neighbor.
Bashar emphasized that “Syria is standing by the brotherly people of Iraq to preserve its national unity and restore its independence, security and stability,” the official Syrian news agency said.
