A+ A-

Syrian presence in Lebanon aimed to prevent division -- Al-Assad

BEIRUT, March 25 (KUNA) -- Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad said the former presence of Syrian forces in Lebanon aimed to protect the country from division and civil war.
In an interview with Al-Safeer Lebanese newspaper published Wednesday, Al-Assad said that Syrian forces were not in Lebanon to protect Lebanese figures or to preserve security.
He said the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri targeted Syria, emphasizing the Damascus had no security information on the killing.
He stressed that Damascus and Al-Hariri did not have conflicts on resistance, Arabism, or relations with Syria, saying that the international court on Lebanon was a Lebanese issue.
The Syrian President highlighted that his country supported Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.
He pointed out that Arab countries had the right to have different vision, stressing that it was not logical to be identical.
He also said relations among Arab countries were changing to the better and that it was important to improve the Egyptian-Qatari ties.
Meanwhile, Al-Assad noted that he supported the Palestinian reconciliation and said that Israel was not ready for real negotiations.
The 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon changed the region and will have an impact on any peace negotiations in any state, he added.
He said that his country's relations with Iran were "strategic" and emphasized on the importance of Iraq's unity. (end) ah.ris KUNA 251435 Mar 09NNNN