FM Shalom: Syria must end its occupation of Lebanon

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told cabinet ministers Sunday that his ministry had launched a "campaign" aimed at ousting Syria from Lebanon.

Shalom, who was speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, said Syria was an occupying power in Lebanon and that there were currently some one million Syrians in Lebanon. Shalom also called on the international community to stop ignoring Syria's control of Lebanon.

Shalom said he recently raised the issue in meetings with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, in Davos, Switzerland, and with Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who was in Israel last week.

The foreign minister said he planned to raise the issue in all his meetings with heads of state, and that Israel's diplomatic representatives abroad had been instructed to bring the issue to the attention of officials in the countries in which they were serving.

Due to budgetary problems, the Foreign Ministry does not plan to disseminate written material on the matter.

Shalom's remarks come against the backdrop of overtures by Syrian President Bashar Assad to Israel to renew peace talks. Assad first expressed readiness to re-engage Israel around the negotiating table in an interview in the New York Times in early December, but so far Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has reacted coldly to the Syrian leader's courting.

Israeli officials believe Assad's declaration of readiness to restart talks is aimed at Washington and is meant to reduce U.S. pressure on Damascus over any weapons of mass destruction and its behavior during the Iraq war.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said at the cabinet meeting that Hamas leaders, including the group's spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, were not immune from Israeli attack. Mofaz was replying to a question by Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) on whether the army had been given a directive not to harm Hamas leaders.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon spoke optimistically about Israel's relationship with Egypt. He said at the cabinet meeting that Egypt plays an essential role in its relationship with Israel.

Sharon said there was no crisis in Israel's relationship with Egypt or with Jordan. The prime minister recently attacked Jordan, saying it was leading the campaign against the security fence Israel is building in the West Bank and was a vigorous supporter of taking the matter to the International Court in The Hague.

Jordan, whose population is 60 percent Palestinian, fears that the fence will force a growing number of Palestinians living in the West Bank into its territory and that this poses an existential threat to the Hashemite Kingdom.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said at the cabinet meeting that Hamas leaders, including the group's spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, were not immune from Israeli attack. Mofaz was replying to a question by Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) on whether the army had been given a directive not to harm Hamas leaders.

Only reason they have a kingdom is because they agreed to settle there instead of Israel. As usual the Arabs fear having to keep their word.

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told cabinet ministers Sunday that his ministry had launched a "campaign" aimed at ousting Syria from Lebanon.

Funny how there is a 20+ year old Security Council resultion demanding Syria's "immediate withdrawl" from Lebanon...yet Israel must conduct a "campaign" to pressure them to actually leave? Meanwhile Israel is threatened with UN peacekeepers on its soil unless it complies with the outrageous "Road Map".

JOrdan is the true Palestinian State, and there is NO reason to have two Palestinian states side by side, while the Jewish people have only tiny Israel, and no other home.
The Arabs have more than 99% of the Middle East, and yet they long for it ALL. No one could ever give the Arabs enough land to make them happy, so why even try? It is foolishness.

Syria has illegally occupied Lebanon as part of its "Greater Syria" strategy (rather, the strategy of the Ba'ath party of Syria) and has done so for more than 20 years (something like, what, 25?).

That the UN has never told them to get out isn't too mysterious. The UN also has done nothing about the illegal blocking of Israel's membership in the WA regional group. It also permitted an SS officer as its Secretary General, and during his term permitted Arafat to speak to the GA with an empty holster on his hip.

Jordan, whose population is 60 percent Palestinian, fears that the fence will force a growing number of Palestinians living in the West Bank into its territory and that this poses an existential threat to the Hashemite Kingdom.

What a weird attitude! Just because the PLO, with the help of Syria, tried to overthrow the late King Hussein? Imagine. The Hashemites have been a minority in Jordan for a long while. It has gotten worse since the Kuwaitis chased them out of Kuwait after the Iraqis were driven out. Something to do with "Palestinian" [Arabs from Israel] guestworkers' support for the invasion of Kuwait.

And the 1994 treaty of Jordan and Israel requires Israel to make up shortfalls in the water supply of Jordan, and that water supply is in large part controlled by Syria, which illegally diverts the water into Syria.

Frankly, I can't think of anything that would improve the situation more than the obliteration of the Syrian regime. Forget getting them out of Lebanon. Once the regime is overthrown, the Syrian army will gladly leave Lebanon.

Funny how there is a 20+ year old Security Council resultion demanding Syria's "immediate withdrawl" from Lebanon...yet Israel must conduct a "campaign" to pressure them to actually leave?

It is the UN Security Council. The consensus interpretation in most of the world is that Syria would hypothetically withraw from Lebanon immediately after the destruction of Israel ...

The Syrian terrorist regime must be dismantled or destroyed before there will be peace. The same applies for the Iranian regime.

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