Posted on 09/08/2004 1:26:02 PM PDT by familyop
According to the Associated Press, a Russian foreign minister says Moscow respects Lebanese sovereignty.
In a veiled swipe at the United States and its United States allies such as Israel, Russia's foreign minister said Sunday his country opposed a Security Council resolution demanding free presidential elections here and a Syrian troop withdrawal out of Moscow's respect for Lebanese sovereignty.
Sergey Lavrov made his comments after meeting Lebanese President Emile Lahoud in Beirut, marking his latest high level meeting during a Middle East tour that has included talks with the leaders of Egypt and Syria. He is expected to arrive in Israel later Sunday.
A deeply divided UN Security Council narrowly approved a resolution Thursday aimed at pressuring Lebanon to reject a second term for its pro-Syrian president and calling for an immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces - an indirect reference to Syrian troops.
The Syrian and Lebanese governments rejected the vote as "interference" in Lebanon's affairs. Syrian troops have been in Lebanon for 28 years and
Damascus is seen as pulling the strings in Lebanese politics and Damascus is seen as the main power broker here.
"As you know, we and five other countries registered our objection to this resolution," Lavrov said after meeting Lahoud, whose successful bid to have the country's constitution amended to remain in office three more years from November has been opposed by permanent Security Council members America and France.
The other Security Council members to abstain from voting on the resolution were China, Pakistan, Algeria, Brazil and the Philippines.
The resolution, introduced by the United States and France, was adopted with the minimum nine "yes" votes just hours before Lebanon's Parliament had been scheduled to vote to amend the constitution so Lahoud, a close friend of Damascus, could keep his job.
"Russia's position stems from its respect for the sovereignty of all the countries of the region and for each one of these countries to live in peace and security with its neighbors," Lavrov told reporters.
Lahoud thanked Lavrov for his country's position, saying Russia's abstention showed it "respects the sovereignty of Lebanon and Syria and refuses to interfere in issues that have to do with relations between the two brotherly countries and allies."
Lavrov said he and Lahoud also discussed the Arab-Israeli conflict and the situation in Iraq, plus held meetings with Lebanese foreign minister Jean Obeid and Premier Rafik Hariri.
Talks also focused on bilateral relations, the situation in the Middle East and Russian efforts to re-launch the peace process in the region, a statement issued by the premier's office said.
Lebanon, occupied by Syria, one of the top state supporters of terrorism, is used as a staging ground for the Iranian-Syrian partnership of terrorism against America, Israel and Western civilization.
What Russia fails to consider as that by supporting the stopping of the resolution it encourages Arab/Islamist extremist fanatical fundamentalist groups such as those in Chechnya to hold it hostage to terrorism. Recently Muslims held hostage school children to extract political concessions.
In response to this dangerous contradiction and trend and in order to bring greater awareness, Israel's leader paid his respect on the occasion to Russian PM Vladimir Putin.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called Russian President Vladimir Putin to express his shock at the wave of terror attacks in Russia, which reached a pinnacle with militants' seizure of a Russian school in Beslan last week.
Sharon told Putin that, "We must concentrate political and intelligence efforts so as to destroy terror." The two agreed that cooperation in the security, intelligence, and humanitarian fields would continue.
Putin similarly expressed his condolences for last week's bus bombings in Be'er Sheva, and said that the Russians value Israel's resolve in preventing terror attacks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is to meet Sharon in Jerusalem on Monday for talks likely to center on the need for greater global anti-terror efforts following the deadly seizure by militants of a Russian school, officials said Sunday.
An Israeli government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the visit was arranged long before the latest wave of violence in Russia.
But the school siege, in which at least 350 were killed, nearly half of them children - along with last week's Moscow homicide bombing and the August 24 bombing of two Russian passenger planes - meant the terror issue would now move higher up the agenda.
"The terrorist activities in Russia against innocent civilians prove anew that terror has no borders and a single goal: to destroy and sow ruin," Sharon said at the beginning of Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting.
"Terror has no justification, and it's time for the free, decent, humanistic world to unite and fight this terrible plague, which has no borders or fences," he said.
The Israeli official said Russia now has greater cause to listen to what Israel has to say.
"They understand now that what they have is not a local terror problem but part of the global Islamic terror threat," the official said. "The Russians may listen to our suggestions this time."
Lavrov, who is conducting a Mideast tour, is also due to meet Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Monday.
In addition to the terror issue, Lavrov and the Israelis will also discuss the Arab-Israeli (wrongly referred to as the Israeli-Palestinian) conflict, Israeli allegations that Syria is behind Arab "Palestinian" attacks on Israelis and bilateral Israeli-Russian issues, other Israeli officials said.
Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.
Copyright © 2004 Gary Fitleberg
Well I am sure the victims families from over the weekend are happy that Russia understands why terrorists do these things. Can we all just hug each other?
Wow.
In other news, France invades Russia, both surrender.
...invade and occupy any other.
ping
Thanks. I didn't see this one.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.