DAMASCUS, 16 September 2004 — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, yesterday called for Lebanon’s sovereignty to be respected, rejecting international condemnation of Damascus’ role in its smaller neighbor’s politics.
The leaders called for “total Lebanese sovereignty and its right to freely manage its internal politics ... rejecting interference in its internal affairs.”
The declarations, carried by the official SANA news agency, came in response to UN Security Council Resolution 1559, passed on Sept. 2, which implicitly called on Syria to respect Lebanese sovereignty and withdraw its troops from its smaller neighbor.
The summit came a day after Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo adopted a resolution supporting Lebanon’s right to make its own choices, taking a swipe at international accusations that Syria had too much say in the country’s political destiny.
Syria still maintains 16,000 troops in Lebanon, a holdover from a larger contingent sent in during the 1975-1990 civil war.
However, the League resolution failed to mention 1559 reportedly because of differences among Arab leaders.
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Shara asked Arab nations to reject the UN resolution, calling it a threat against Syria and official interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs, according to Al-Hayat newspaper.
