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Syria prevails over moderates at Arab summit

NICOSIA [MENL] -- Syria dominated a brief meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Beirut and pushed through resolutions that called for a suspension of Arab normalization with Israel.

The Arab League resolution called on members with ties to Israel to consider a freeze because of what the league said was Israel's aggressive policy. The resolution condemns Israel's occupation of Arab land.

Syria's hardline position overcame Egyptian appeals for a milder condemnation of the Jewish state. But Arab foreign ministers went along with the Syrian and Lebanese position and ended the session on late Saturday after less than a day of deliberations.

On Sunday, some of the foreign ministers toured Kfar Kana, the site of an Israeli shelling in 1996 in which about 100 Palestinian refugees were killed, in a demonstration of solidarity with Lebanon.

"After this meeting, Israel cannot isolate Lebanon anymore whatever its policies are and whatever is the content of its last decision," said Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk A-Shaara said. "The Lebanese resistance is now, more than ever before, respected by all the Arabs without exceptions. Southern Lebanon has become the symbol of the resistance and the pride of the Arabs."

Lebanese Prime Minister Salim Hoss agreed. "We hope that brotherly Arab countries will be ready to reconsider their links with Israel, including normalization of relations and their participation in multilateral peace negotiations, if Israel pursued aggressions against Lebanon," Hoss said. "Thus, they would be sending an equivocal message to Israel, telling it that the aggression against Lebanon is an aggression against the Arabs."

In Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy said the Arab League call for the suspension of ties with Israel raises doubts over the Arab willingness to make peace with the Jewish state. Aides to Prime Minister Ehud Barak said the resolutions reflect concern over Israeli plans to withdraw from Lebanon.

The meeting, the first high-level Arab gathering in Beirut since 1956, appeared to pit Egypt against Syria. Egypt said it welcomed Israel's decision to withdraw from Lebanon. But Lebanon and Syria urged the foreign ministers to strongly condemn Israel, support attacks against Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and halt relations with the Jewish state.

The final communique of the foreign ministers pledged to support Lebanon and condemn what it termed were Israeli aggression. The draft called for a complete and unconditional Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the Syrian Golan Heights and Palestinian occupied territories. The communique also supported the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes in what is now Israel.

Diplomats said the disagreements between Egypt and Syria cut short the summit. The disagreement also shelved other issues. They said the ministers agreed to deal with only a third of the 30 issues raised for the agenda. In the end, however, the Lebanon issue was the only one discussed at the session.

Lebanon used the summit to appeal to Arab nations for funds to confront Israel. Hoss said he hoped Arab League foreign ministers would finally send the huge sums pledged in previous meetings. Lebanon has received only $425 million of $2 billion pledged by Arab summits in 1978 and 1982.

Last week, Saudi Arabia pledged $130 million, mostly in loans. Kuwait has donated $16 million to repair power stations damaged in the Feb. 8 Israeli attacks on Lebanese infrastructure. Damage was estimated at $20 million.

Arab League Secretary General Ismat Abdel Meguid called on Israel to compensate for the damage in Lebanon.