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Rice Tells Syria: 'Beware Deepened Isolation'U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has warned Syria not to deepen its "own isolation," insisting in an unrelenting daily pressure of the Assad regime to make an immediate and total pullout.
"I would hope that the Syrians would not continue to deepen their own isolation," Rice said, noting that several Arab states have also urged Syria to withdraw its forces from neighboring Lebanon, including Saudi Arabia, the Middle East financial titan.
"I would certainly hope that the Syrians are getting the message, that this is a completely different situation," she said, referring to U.N. Security Council resolution 1559.
Rice's stance was backed by State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. "Resolution 1559 says immediate and full withdrawal. That's what we are looking for," he said. "We are looking for action from Syria. We are not looking for excuses or rhetoric."
Rice and Boucher's statements underscored Bush's recent assertion in public that getting Syria out of Lebanon had become his day-to-day obsession.(AFP-Naharnet)
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Beirut, Updated 14 Mar 05, 09:01 |
