March 14 expresses reservations about Sarkozy-Assad relations
The March 14 forces said they had “reservations” about French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s invitation to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is to visit on June 13-14, 2008.
“We express our reservations about this openness to the Syrian regime, because we are used to this regime refusing to turn anything positive into an appropriate policy, especially in the interests of Lebanon,” MP Elias Atallah said on behalf of the pro-government alliance.
Atallah said that he doubted the Syrian disposition had improved. “The past proves that this could not succeed, and the French experience the best proof of that,” Atallah told AFP.
Former MP Fares Soueid also questioned the grounds of the sudden French openness. “France will not be able to get what it wants from Syria for the good for Lebanon. Syria will not be able to break its isolation because the West will not accept the manipulation of the International Tribunal,” he added.
MP George Adwan said that Syria”s return to the international arena “might be very useful for Lebanon on condition that Damascus is committed to the standards of the international community.”
Adwan underlined the need for mutual respect between “two neighboring sovereign states,” which he said included respecting the sovereignty of each state’s affairs, opening mutual embassies, the establishment of the International Tribunal, and the demarcation of a border between Lebanon and Syria.