French Sources: Iran Obstructing While Syria Not Facilitating Cabinet Formation
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem visits Paris on Tuesday for talks with his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner that will mostly focus on the situation in Lebanon and cabinet formation efforts.
An Nahar daily on Saturday quoted diplomatic sources as saying that Kouchner wants to inquire Muallem about Syria”s real stance from the process of cabinet formation in Lebanon.
The sources said obstacles to cabinet formation are Iranian and that Damascus is not playing a positive role in facilitating a solution to the crisis.
Furthermore, Paris wants to know if conditions put by Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and Hizbullah are purely internal or come under foreign influence.
French sources also told Pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat daily that Paris wants to incite Syria to provide the appropriate circumstances for the formation of an effective cabinet and reiterate its support for President Michel Suleiman and Lebanon”s independence and sovereignty.
During his visit to Paris, Muallem will also meet Elysee Secretary-General Claude Gueant.
Kouchner last visited Syria in July during a regional conference for French ambassadors. He discussed with his Syrian counterpart the situation in Lebanon after the parliamentary elections.