Lebanese opposition leader in Moscow for talks
A top anti-Syria Lebanese opposition leader headed to Moscow today for talks on the scaling back of Syria’s military presence in his country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Walid Jumblatt will hold three days of consultations with political figures and Foreign Ministry officials, the Interfax news agency quoted ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko as saying.
International pressure is mounting on Syria to withdraw its 15,000 troops from Lebanon, and Russia, a long-time ally of Syria, last week hosted a senior Syrian envoy to urge Damascus to comply with a UN resolution demanding it pull out its soldiers. But Moscow made no mention of a timetable for the possible withdrawal.
Syrian President Bashar Assad and his ally Lebanese President Emile Lahoud announced this week Syrian troops would pull back toward the border and then the two sides would work out their removal from Lebanon. But they announced no timetable.
“Forthcoming contacts with Jumblatt are part of Russia’s active policy aimed at removing new sources of tensions in the Middle East, lifting all problems in relations between Lebanon and Syria and fulfilling the UN resolution,” Yakovenko said.
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