WASHINGTON, 17 October 2005 — Syria is continuing to destabilize Lebanon, even half a year after pulling its troops from the country, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday, adding that Damascus’ actions are serious enough to warrant international action. Rice said alleged Syrian efforts to destabilize Lebanon appear to flout a United Nations resolution.
“The question is, are they fully living up to their obligations under resolution 1559 which we co-sponsored with the French to not destabilize Lebanon, to not sanction assassinations in that region,” Rice told NBC television’s “Meet the Press” program.
“I think you will see over the next couple of weeks that we will have to address these issues in a multi-lateral fashion,” she said. Rice added that Syria’s actions are disrupting the entire region, and is “out of step with a general trend toward democratization in the Middle East.”
“What we are focused on is getting the Syrian regime to change its behavior. The Syrian regime is out of step with what is going on in the region,” Rice told NBC.
