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| U.N. 'Steel-Hard' Ultimatum to Assad to Quit Lebanon "If he doesn't deliver, there will be total political and economic isolation of his country. There is a steel-hard consensus in the international community," a senior U.N. official said. Assigned by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to ask Assad for a definite withdrawal Roed-Larsen trotted back to the Middle East this week. He met Thursday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and will hop to Beirut Friday before traveling to Damascus. A U.N. official said Roed-Larsen had found "remarkable" support for a tough stance with Syria over its failure to comply with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 calling for an end to Syria's tutelage over Lebanon. The U.N. envoy on Saturday will tell the Syrian president that he must take four steps if he wants to avoid sanctions, U.N. and U.S. officials told The Washington Post. First, he must respect Lebanon's sovereignty and not undermine its upcoming legislative elections. Second, he must provide a complete timeline for a full pullout of troops. A phased withdrawal or "sequencing" would be accepted, but must be expeditious, the sources said. Third, Assad must also provide a timeline for the withdrawal of some 5,000 intelligence agents in Lebanon. Finally, other requirements will be discussed, including the need to disarm and dismantle foreign and domestic Syrian-supported militias in Lebanon, although the sources said the U.N. is prepared to wait until after Lebanon's legislative elections to deal with this problem. The post also quoted U.S. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli as saying "Clearly the presence of Syrian forces and Syrian intelligence agents is incompatible with a fully fair election, untainted by outside interference. And that's the basis of 1559."(AFP-Naharnet) |
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Beirut, Updated 14 Mar 05, 09:01 |