"We'll Liberate Land Militarily if Diplomacy Fails"

"We'll Liberate Land Militarily if Diplomacy Fails"

Hussein Assi Readers Number : 551

14/07/2008 A new stage in the Lebanese-Syrian relations has started from Paris where Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and his Syrian counterpart Bachar al-Assad announced they had agreed on opening embassies in each others' capitals for the first time since their independence from colonial rule. The two leaders exchanged visits over the weekend on the sidelines of the Mediterranean Summit, stressing the necessity of strengthening bilateral ties. On Sunday, Suleiman held a 50-minute meeting with Assad at his private suite in the Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel in the presence of Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem and other members of the Syrian delegation. A statement released by Suleiman's office said the two leaders focused on the measures needed to be taken to establish diplomatic ties between the two neighboring states. Moallem will soon visit Beirut to deliver a formal invitation to Suleiman to visit Damascus, the statement added. At a news conference that followed the meeting, Assad said the establishment of diplomatic ties would be announced both from Beirut and Damascus. "When President Suleiman visits Damascus, we will announce it from there and the same will happen when I visit Beirut," Assad told reporters. Suleiman confirmed that he was planning to visit Syria, but did not specify a date. "We are not normalizing relations with Syria. We already have normal relations and establishing diplomatic ties will further develop the existing relations," he added. The Lebanese President also told reporters that he was planning to discuss the status of the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms during his expected visit to Syria. He said he would resort first to resolving the issue through diplomatic means, but did not rule out the possibility of using military force to liberate the Lebanese land if peaceful efforts fail. "We will try to liberate the occupied territory through diplomatic means, namely through the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1707, but if such means fail, we will resort to military operations," he warned, adding that Lebanon is "committed to regaining its full sovereignty over the Shebaa Farms."