 |
Syrian President Meets Lebanese PM on Regional Situation
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad discussed Monday, November 27 in Damascus with visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri the current situation in the Middle East and other issues of common concern.
The discussions focused on the escalating Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and the current inter-Arab contacts, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.
Hariri flew in from Egypt where he held talks with Egyptian leaders on the developments of the situation in the region and the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians.
In Cairo, Hariri pointed out that the Israeli acts would undermine the Middle East peace process, which had been shattered by the two-month clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
More than 280 people, mostly Palestinians, have been killed and thousands more wounded.
The Lebanese prime minister also underscored the necessity of Syrian military existence in Lebanon, noting that the Syrian army would start redeployment after the Lebanese security forces took charge of their responsibilities.
Hariri is facing the challenge of tackling the touchy issue of Syria's military presence.
Syria deployed 35,000 troops across Lebanon at the end of the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war.
On Sunday, Damascus declared its position on the issue for the first time when Syrian Foreign Minister Faruk Shareh said that "a decision on the Syrian military existence in Lebanon is being discussed by the governments of Syria and Lebanon."
In This Section
|