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Israel warns Syria against sending army to border

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Tuesday, April 4, 2000

JERUSALEM [MENL] -- Israel has warned Syria against sending its military to the border between the Jewish state and Lebanon.

Israeli Cabinet ministers said such a move by Syria would constitute an intolerable threat. They said the threat by Lebanese Defense Minister Ghazi Zaayter was a trial balloon launched by Syria.

"Israel will not stand by," Foreign Minister David Levy said. "This contradicts the resolution of the [United Nations] Security Council. But this is a trial balloon and if this takes place Israel will respond with full gravity."

Levy suggested that the threats reflected the deterioration of the health of Syrian President Hafez Assad, a development that has affected his judgement. "He resembles the Egyptian Sphinx, whose nose has been worn away by time and the winds," Levy said. "Perhaps Assad's nose has also lost the sense of direction. But I hope he will be ultimately guided by good sense."

For his part, Prime Minister Ehud Barak played down the prospect of a Syrian redeployment. "I don't think there is a chance of escalation," Barak told a news conference on Monday.

In Beirut, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk A-Shaara criticized Zaayter's suggestion that Syrian missiles would be able to attack Tel Aviv if they were deployed along the Lebanese border with Israel. He said Israel could exploit belligerent statements.

"It is wrong when some of us make some statements, even with personal sympathy, that might leave a negative effect or might help Israel push the matters toward unpeaceful direction," A-Shaara said. "We want to push things toward peace. If there were any positions to be taken to face certain arrangements done unilaterally by the Israeli government we will study these positions in time."

A-Shaara dismissed reports that President Hafez Assad has ordered heightened military preparations for war in wake of the unsuccessful summit with U.S. President Bill Clinton. The two men disagreed on Israel's insistence to maintain control over the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River.

"We do not expect war and we do not want war," A-Shaara said. "Talking about war is obviously wrong because we are talking about peace."

But another senior Lebanese figure repeated Zaayter's call for Syria to deploy along the Lebanese border with Israel. "If there was an interest to demand Syrian troops to accompany the Lebanese army, the request will be legal and will be welcomed by our Syrian brothers,'' deputy parliamentary speaker Elie Furzli said.

On Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Salim Hoss arrives in Damascus for talks with Bashar Assad, the son and heir-apparent to the Syrian president. The discussion is expected to focus on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

Diplomatic sources said France plans to initiate a debate in the United Nations Security Council regarding the bolstering of an international peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon. Levy flies to Geneva on Tuesday to discuss the issue with UN secretary-general Kofi Annan.

For his part, Barak said he didn't see a need to significantly strengthen UN forces. U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen, who met Barak, said the United States would not participate in any international peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.

Officials said Israel has asked the United States to participate in any peacekeeping force on the Golan Heights.

At a news conference on Monday, Israel's militia ally in south Lebanon rejected resettlement of thousands of its members to Israel. South Lebanese Army commander Gen. Antoine Lahad said the SLA would continue after an Israeli withdrawal and said his members would rather commit suicide than leave their homes.

"You know what happened in Masada," Lahad said, referring to the mass suicide by Jewish fighters nearly 2000 years ago. "We would rather commit suicide than be refugees outside of our land."

Tuesday, April 4, 2000Monday, April 3, 2000

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