Israel: Syria must respect Lebanon sovereignty
Syria must respect Lebanon’s sovereignty as well as the arms embargo imposed on Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, Israel’s foreign minister said today, in response to Syria’s opposition to the deployment of international forces on the Lebanon-Syria border.
Israel insists that an international force be sent to the border before it will lift its air and sea blockade, while Syria has threatened to close its border in such a case. Israel says Syria is a key arms supplier to Hezbollah.
Asked about Syria’s position concerning the border deployment, Tzipi Livni called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and the UN-brokered cease-fire that ended a month of Israel-Hezbollah fighting.
“It’s about time that Syria give Lebanon the freedom and ability to be an independent and sovereign state,” she said in a Tel Aviv meeting with her Greek counterpart, Dora Bakoyannis.
“We expect and I believe the entire international community expects the Syrian government to respect the decision of the international community.”
Livni said she assumed Assad was unhappy with the ceasefire deal, known as UN Security Council resolution 1701. “So I can imagine that the Syrian president is not in love with Resolution 1701,” she said.
“I can understand that he is not in love, especially with the decision of an arms embargo, but there is a chance to change the situation in Lebanon.”
