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Clinton Asks Assad to Help Calm Down Situation in South Lebanon
U.S. President Bill Cliton called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Saturday, asking him to exert influence to help calm down the situation in south Lebanon.
The official SANA news agency reported that during the telephone conversation, Clinton urged Syria to pressure Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah to stop anti-Israeli military operations.
The Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah, or Party of God, exchanged fire with Israeli forces along the Lebanese-Israeli border Saturday afternoon, and captured three Israeli soldiers.
The guerrillas want to trade them with Arab prisoners still detained in Israeli jails.
SANA said Clinton repeated the warning made by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who threatened a short while ago that a further deteriation of the situation in south Lebanon could lead to escalation of military tension in the region.
Barak also vowed harsher military counter-attack against any Hezbollah move against Israel.
Meanwhile, he issued an ultimatum to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, requesting him to stop the violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip within 48 hours or face the full force of Israel.
The widespread clashes between protesting Palestinians and Israeli forces were triggered by Israeli right-winger Ariel Sharon's provocative visit to a contested Jerusalem shrine, holy to both Muslims and Jews.
The Palestinians rejected Barak's threats, accusing him of wanting to kill the peace process.
President Assad also received a call from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during which they discussed the latest development in the Middle East region.
Local reports said Syrian Foreign Minister Faruk Shareh and Lebanese Prime Minister Salim Hoss also exchanged views by phone on Israeli threats.
The two agreed that Israel was responsible for the worsening situation in the border area because it opened fire on stone-throwing civilians.
Syria has made it clear to both the United Nations and the United States that the military operation launched by Hezbollah against Israeli forces was legitimate.
Shareh blamed Israel for triggering the violence during separate calls initiated by U.S. Secretary General Kofi Annan and U.S. Secretary of States Madeleine Albright.
The clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces in the past 10 days have killed about 80 people, almost exclusively Palestinians and Israeli Arabs, and injured more than 2,000 others.
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