War (of Words) with Syria
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Tuesday, May 27, 2003
Lebanon marks Israeli withdrawal
Ha'aretz -- May 25
By Daniel Sobelman
Lebanon celebrated Liberation and Resistance Day yesterday, a national holiday first declared after Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon three years ago.
Hezbollah held its main rally in the city of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah stressed in his speech that Lebanon must not give up the arms of Hezbollah, and explained that Israel and the U.S. have aggressive intentions and that Israel is refusing to recognize Lebanon's rights. "Yesterday, when we wanted to drink the water of the Wazzani River and Sharon threatened war, was it because of our weapons? ... Whenever any source of power is conceded, this is suicide," Nasrallah said.
He was referring to an article in the Hebrew edition of Haaretz on Friday, according to which Israel meant to target his organization during the war in Iraq, but was held back by the U.S. administration.
Nasrallah issues call to arms to face Jewish state
‘When the country faces aggression, we must be fully ready’
The Daily Star -- May 27
by Morshed Ali
Hizbullah secretary-general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called Sunday on the resistance, the army and national forces to arm themselves in the face of a possible attack by the Jewish state.
Addressing thousands at Ras al-Ain in Baalbek on the third anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from South Lebanon, he said, “when the country faces aggression, we must be fully ready to resist.
FM Shalom to Ministers of Syria and Lebanon: I Come In Peace
Maariv via Virtual Jerusalem News -- May 27
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom received an unusual amount of attention in the conference of foreign ministers that took place in Crete. For the first time since the Intifada began the foreign ministers of Morocco and Tunisia agreed with him. For the first time the foreign ministers of Syria and Lebanon chose to listen to the Israeli Foreign Minister’s speech rather than taking their usual step of leaving the auditorium in protest.
“I’ve come here today with a message of peace from Jerusalem. Yesterday the Israeli government approved the roadmap and President Bush’s vision for peace. This step brings hopes of peace to peoples of the region,” said Shalom. “The Palestinian Prime Minister needs to now stop incitement and fight terror. Without this we will not be able to progress. The Palestinians need to understand that Israel will never agree to the return of Palestinians to its territory. I call upon my colleagues in the Arab world to take this opportunity to build a better future.”
The Syrian Foreign Minister gave a moderate speech saying that Syria is prepared to return to the negotiating table with Israel if certain conditions are met based on Un resolutions 242 and 338.
U.N. official: No changes of 'road map'
UPI -- May 27
By Dalal Saoud
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- A top U.N. official said Tuesday the "road map" for peace in the Middle East, designed to settle Israel-Palestinians relations and formally establish a Palestinian state, will not be changed or renegotiated.
Terje Roed Larsen, U.N. special coordinator for Middle East peace, spoke as President George W. Bush prepares to meet with a number of Arab leaders to discuss the plan's implementation.
Larsen said the peace plan was more broad than the 1993 Oslo agreements between Israel and the Palestinians because it takes into account Lebanon and Syria.
Jordan confirms Palestinian-Israeli summit in Aqaba; Syria excluded from US-Arab summit
Al Bawaba -- May 27
US President George W. Bush is planned to meet the Israeli and Palestinian premiers at one summit next week and hold another summit with several Arab heads of states.
The Israeli-Palestinian summit will take place in Jordan, Petra news agency confirmed Tuesday. The US-Arab summit will be held in Egypt. Both summits would take place after Bush attends the G-8 summit of the world's wealthiest countries in Evian, France from June 1-3.
Jordanian Information Minister, Mohammad Affash Adwan, was quoted as saying by Petra that Bush would meet a few Arab leaders, including Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II, in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The Jordanian minister conveyed the US leader was also due to attend a separate summit with Sharon and Abbas, in Jordan's resort of Aqaba. Adwan said consultations were under way to "specify the dates of both summits."
Syria expresses skepticism of Israel's acceptance of road map
Ha'aretz via Virtual Jerusalem News -- May 27
DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria's official media expressed skepticism Tuesday of Israel's acceptance of the road map plan for peace with the Palestinians, saying the Israeli aim is to gain time and smash the Palestinian opposition.
The Israeli Cabinet gave its conditional approval to the
plan on Sunday, adding demands that the Palestinians have
previously rejected. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had earlier declared his reluctant support for the plan, subject to assurances from Washington that Israel's reservations would be taken into account in the plan's
implementation.
SYRIA PREZ: WHAT QAEDA?
New York Post -- May 26
Syrian President Bashar Assad - who has promised Washington that he would help in the war on terror - said yesterday that al Qaeda does not exist and that Arab countries should not deal directly with Israel
"Is there really an entity called al Qaeda? Was it in Afghanistan? Does it exist now?" Assad asked in a wide-ranging interview published yesterday by the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anba.
Syria Denies Existence of Al Qaeda
Talon News via GOPUSA -- May 26
By Jimmy Moore
KUWAIT CITY -- Syrian President Bashar Assad revealed in a newspaper interview on Sunday that he does not believe there is a terrorist group called al Qaeda, the organization widely believed to be the perpetrators of the hijackings on September 11, 2001 as well as the recent attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco.
"Is there really an entity called al Qaeda? It was in Afghanistan, but is it there anymore?" Assad asked.
Is there really an Al-Qaeda group?
The Strait Times -- May 27
KUWAIT CITY - Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview published on Sunday that he doubts the existence of Al-Qaeda, the terror group the US blames for the Sept 11, 2001 attacks and suspects of involvement in more recent strikes in Saudi Arabia and Morocco.
'Is there really an entity called Al-Qaeda? Was it in Afghanistan? Does it exist now?' Mr Assad told Al- Anba, a Kuwaiti daily.
Syria says ''roadmap'' should include Lebanese, Syrian tracks
Al Bawaba -- May 27
The US-backed Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, known as "road map" should be expanded and its guidelines should also be implemented in Syria and Lebanon, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa said Tuesday.
"The roadmap... has to address the Lebanese and Syrian tracks," Shara was quoted as saying.
Al-Sharaa spoke on the sidelines of a meeting of the European Union and Mediterranean nations held in Crete, Greece. "The two tracks are united and they will be a part of the whole solution in the Middle East," he told reporters.
Israel's Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom speaking at the event Monday, said that Israel was prepared to ink a peace agreement with Syria if Damascus abandons its support for "terrorism."
In his Monday's address to the conference, Shara underlined that the explosive situation in the Middle East was a result of the absence of peace, the developments in Iraq and the continuation of the Israeli occupation of Arab territories, SANA reported.
He pointed out that the Israeli rejection of peace is hindering the establishment of a Euro- Mediterranean region that enjoy peace, stability and welfare.
Shara pointed out that for peace to be comprehensive it should include disarming the region of weapons of mass destruction.