DAMASCUS, 5 December 2006 — German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called yesterday for Damascus to help prevent the destabilization of Lebanon, amid growing calls for the Beirut government to step down. “I call particularly on Syria to do everything in its power to prevent the destabilization of Lebanon, directly or indirectly,” he said, according to an official translation of his remarks from German to Arabic.
“I was in Lebanon and witnessed the fragile situation, in particular after the assassination of Pierre Gemayel,” Steinmeier said, referring to the anti-Syrian industry minister who was shot dead in Beirut on Nov. 21. Steinmeier, who earlier met President Bashar Assad and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, called on “all parties to deploy every effort to prevent increased violence in Lebanon.”
Syria dominated its smaller neighbor for decades until Lebanese ex-Premier Rafik Hariri was killed in 2005, sparking protests that led to the exit of Syrian troops from Lebanon and the election of an anti-Syrian Parliament.
Muallem said that his country “will respond to the interests of our people,” slamming what he said were efforts to isolate Syria. “There are parties in the world who have isolated Syria but we want solid relations with every country in the world, especially Germany, based on common understanding and non-interference in (Syrian) internal affairs.”
In Berlin, Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger had said Steinmeier would “deliver a political message” from Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, asking Syria to “exercise a moderating influence on Hezbollah.”
Steinmeier had in August canceled a visit to Damascus hours before his planned arrival after Assad described Israel as “an enemy,” said it was an honor for Syria to support Hezbollah in its struggle against Israel.
During a stop in Beirut Saturday, Steinmeier urged foreign powers to stay out of Lebanese affairs amid the political crisis. Washington and Paris have regularly accused Damascus of attempting to destabilize Lebanon.
Germany will assume the presidencies of the European Union and the Group of Eight most industrialized nations from Jan. 1.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh met Bashar yesterday to discuss efforts to form a unity government, the official SANA news agency said.
“The meeting affirmed the need to support the Palestinian people fully and work on breaking the siege imposed on them,” the agency said.
“Shoring up Palestinian national unity is also paramount in delicate circumstances such as these.” Haniyeh, of the ruling Hamas movement, is in Damascus on a regional tour, the first since he took office in March.
Hamas’ exiled leader Khaled Meshaal lives in Syria along with several high-level members of the group, which is locked in a dispute with the minority Fatah faction over forming a new government.
Palestinian politicians say Syria has been gently pushing Hamas to compromise on the government issue, but Hamas leaders say the group is entitled to key positions in the government that reflect its dominance in Parliament.
Haniyeh said in Cairo last week that talks on a government of national unity would not run into a dead end. Haniyeh arrived in Damascus on Sunday from Qatar, which agreed to pay salaries of 40,000 Palestinian education workers for several months, helping to ease an economic crisis caused by Western sanctions.
Western countries imposed the sanctions to force the Hamas government to recognize Israel, renounce armed struggle and accept peace accords with Israel struck by the Palestinian Liberation Organization, which does not include Hamas.
