News Analysis: Syria stood firm under US, Israeli pressures

by Jia Xiaohua, Gu Kang

DAMASCUS, Sept. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Syria stood firm under a new round of pressures from the United States and Israel, seeking to strengthen solidarity with the Arab countries while brushing aside Israeli military threats.

The United States, which accused Syria of exerting too much influence over extending the incumbent Lebanese President Emile Lahoud's six-year term, circulated a draft resolution to other UN Security Council members on Wednesday, demanding respect for Lebanon's sovereignty and a withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon.

Despite strong objections from Syria and Lebanon, the United Nations Security Council on Thursday narrowly voted in favor of the US-proposed resolution.

Meanwhile, senior Israeli officials also sent strong warnings to Syria after a double suicide bombing attack last Tuesday in its southern city of Beersheva, which killed 16 people.

Israel threatened to launch military attacks against targets in Syria as it believed Damascus was involved in the blasts.

Syrian Minister of Information Ahmad al-Hassan told Xinhua on Saturday that Syria's first choice, under the dual pressures, was to strengthen its solidarity with other Arab and friendly countries.

Syria would deepen its ties with Beirut along "the path of more cooperation, coordination and congruity", Hassan added, in an obvious defiance of the resolution.

On Saturday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received respectively Lebanese Army Chief Michael Sulaiman and Deputy Prime Minister Isam Fares, and discussed bilateral relations and other issues of common concern.

Assad also made a telephone call to his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak, exchanging views on the situations his country faces.

Syria's efforts seemed to have paid off, as Arab League chief Amr Moussa, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday separately expressed their disapproval to the new UN resolution.

Moussa, currently on a tour to Italy, said in an interview with Egypt's "Sound of Arabs" radio station that the adoption of the resolution was unjustified because the Lebanese presidential election constitutes no threats to regional security and stability.

Gheit told reporters in a joint press conference with Lavrov that Egypt believes the Security Council should not handle the issue in the first place.

Lavrov, for his part, said Lebanon was able to run its own internal affairs in an independent way and the Lebanese-Syrian relations were well defined by bilateral agreements.

Syria's reaction to the resolution was by no means obedient.

Right after the resolution was adopted on Thursday, Syria immediately described it as a "failure" for the United States, because the original text was changed and the name of Syria was forced out of the final one.

Hassan on Saturday accused the United States of using the Security Council to revenge Syria's opposition to its war on Iraq.

However, Syria did not completely shut its doors to the United States, still insisting on continuing a dialogue with Washington.

Assad made clear this willingness for dialogue on Saturday while receiving visiting US Congressman Darel Issa and two US scholars.

As for the Israeli threats, Syria handles them with relative ease.

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara dismissed on Thursday the Israeli accusations as lacking credibility, and warning against exacerbating the already deteriorating situation in the Middle East.

Israeli military intelligence chief General Aharon Zeevi confirmed later Thursday that no direct link was established between the Beersheva bombings and Damascus.

Hassan said on Saturday that he saw little possibility of an Israeli attack.

Under current international conditions, Israel would not risk to attack Syria, Hassan said. He made a particular reference to the US government, which he said would not encourage Sharon to take such an action.

However, Syria will remain "cautious and sober to any possible event in the future", he said.

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