http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=933568
POL-US-LEBANON-SYRIA US blames Syria for blocking progress in Lebanon on Shebaa Farms issue WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (KUNA) -- Responding to remarks by Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora that he was not receiving concrete support from the US as he tries to keep his embattled government in place, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack Tuesday said one key problem is that Syria is blocking resolution of the Shebaa Farms issue. About 14 kilometers long and 2.5 kilometers wide, the cluster of 14 abandoned farms has been a flash point for violence since Israel withdrew from Lebanon in May 2000. The United Nations designated the area a part of Syria, currently occupied by Israel. But Hezbollah says it is Lebanese territory that Israel continues to occupy. Hezbollah has repeatedly targeted Israeli troops patrolling the area. "It is a difficult situation in Lebanon right now, and I can understand the desire of Prime Minister Siniora to move forward and solve some problems," McCormack said during a briefing. "One big problem that he sees and that he has on his plate is the issue of Shebaa Farms. I understand his desire to resolve that issue. Right now it is very complicated, gets into maps and which ones are valid, which ones are not." But fundamentally it boils down to one point, McCormack said, "and the biggest single obstacle to resolving the Shebaa Farms issue right now is Syria. " UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other UN powers "have drawn certain lines" regarding the territory, McCormack said. "There is a process that everybody agreed would be a step along the way to resolving the situation," he added. "And to this point, Syria has not moved at all in trying to resolve the situation. So they are the single biggest stumbling block, actually." If there is anything the United States can do to help resolve the situation, McCormack said, "we will try to do what we can. But Syria is the stumbling block right now." Regarding the effort by Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa to broker a compromise that would defuse the political crisis in Lebanon, in which hundreds of thousands of Hezbollah backers are calling for the Siniora government to step down, McCormack said that "ultimately, this needs to be the Lebanese that come to any solution. Maybe there are some outside ideas that may be flowing in. That is fine. But fundamentally, they (the Lebanese) have to decide what is the political way out from the current situation." It is not a matter for the United States to support the Moussa effort or not, McCormack said. "It is a matter for the Lebanese government led by Prime Minister Siniora to assess whether or not there is any merit in the ideas, and if so, to act on it," McCormack said. "But that is completely a decision for the Lebanese government to make." (end) rm. bs +++ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
