Chirac Makes Syria's Pullout Top Priority, Bush: 'Beware Physical Terror'
Naharnet
France has made it clear to Syria that it has to discontinue its tutelage over Lebanon, while the United States served a fresh warning on the Assad regime that the Bush administration would not tolerate "physical terrorization" of Lebanese opposition figures before, during and after the spring elections.
The French move was made by President Chirac in the course of a New Year address at the Elysee to the accredited foreign diplomatic corps in Paris on Thursday, asserting that enforcement of U.N. resolution 1559 was a top priority for France. The speech captured the page-one banner-line of An Nahar in Beirut on Friday.
"Implementation of resolution 1559 underlines our attachment to a free, independent and sovereign Lebanon. This implementation preoccupies our attention and alert, especially on the fringes of the upcoming parliamentary elections in spring," Chirac said.
"The careful selection of Chirac's words carried a cautioning message to the Lebanese authorities against messing with the elections," An Nahar quoted a French source at the presidency as interpreting Chirac's remark on Lebanon.
Chirac, however, did not mention Syria by name in connection with the enforcement of 1559, which calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, which means the Syrian army, and the disarmament of all militias operating on its territory, an obvious allusion to Hizbullah and Palestinians.
Chirac's speech chimed in with a spiraling U.S. campaign to make the Assad regime understand that compliance with1559 was inescapable. France cosponsored 1559 with the United States. The Security Council passed the resolution Sept. 2.
The French move was made by President Chirac in the course of a New Year address at the Elysee to the accredited foreign diplomatic corps in Paris on Thursday, asserting that enforcement of U.N. resolution 1559 was a top priority for France. The speech captured the page-one banner-line of An Nahar in Beirut on Friday.
"Implementation of resolution 1559 underlines our attachment to a free, independent and sovereign Lebanon. This implementation preoccupies our attention and alert, especially on the fringes of the upcoming parliamentary elections in spring," Chirac said.
"The careful selection of Chirac's words carried a cautioning message to the Lebanese authorities against messing with the elections," An Nahar quoted a French source at the presidency as interpreting Chirac's remark on Lebanon.
Chirac, however, did not mention Syria by name in connection with the enforcement of 1559, which calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, which means the Syrian army, and the disarmament of all militias operating on its territory, an obvious allusion to Hizbullah and Palestinians.
Chirac's speech chimed in with a spiraling U.S. campaign to make the Assad regime understand that compliance with1559 was inescapable. France cosponsored 1559 with the United States. The Security Council passed the resolution Sept. 2.
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