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UNITED NATIONS Tfiffii NATIONS UNIES INFORMATION CENTRE ^PS^T CENTRE D'information UNITED NATIONS tfiffii NATIONS UNIES INFORMATION CENTRE ^PS^T CENTRE D'INFORMATION UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION CENTRE PRESS REVIEW UNIC BEIRUT 14 June, 2001 MIDDLE EAST Annan to Meet Syrian President Assad To Discuss Stability in South Lebanon UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan began yesterday his visit to Syria, the second stop in his 6-day regional tour, by meeting with Syrian Foreign minister Farouk El-Sharaa. "Annan to Discuss with Assad today Stability in South Lebanon," AI-Mustaqbal wrote in its front-page headline. The daily and others quoted a senior UN official as saying that Annan will discuss today with Assad "stability along the UN-drawn Blue Line." Similarly, AI-Anwar in its headline also wrote, "Annan to Discuss with Assad Situation in South Lebanon." Most papers said Assad yesterday tackled with Sharaa the situation in the Palestinian territories, in south Lebanon as well as the issue of Iraq. As-Safir in its headline wrote, "Annan and Sharaa Discuss Stability in South Lebanon; Talks Include Syrian Membership at the Security Council." Annan described his meeting with Sharaa yesterday as "very useful," AI- Mustaqbal wrote. Meanwhile, Sharaa was quoted as urging Annan to take a more active UN role "to put an end to the policies of threat and aggression, which Israel practices against unarmed Palestinian people in the occupied territories," Al- Mustaqbal, Al-Kifah Al-Arabi and others reported. Meets Mubarak, Maher in Cairo AI-Hayat today focused on Annan's meetings with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his foreign minister Ahmad Maher in Cairo prior to his arrival in Syria. "Annan Calls for Lifting Siege on Palestinian People," Al-Hayat read in its headline. The daily referred to statements made by Annan during a press conference following his meeting with Mubarak yesterday in which he said, "I think the purpose of the efforts we are making in the end is to ensure that the siege would also be lifted.. .and when we talk of confidence-building measures, as proposed in the Mitchell report, these are the issues that we are talking about." Al-Hayat and most papers said Annan indicated in answer to a question that "the whole idea behind the international effort is to try to bring the violence to an end. Now that the cease-fire is being consolidated...there should be an effort to move on to the diplomatic process in order to ensure that the cease-fire also holds." "Annan in an Exclusive Talk with AJ-Lewa' (???) Talks of International Efforts to Consolidate Cease-fire and Says We are Working to Find a Common Point," daily Al-Lewa' wrote in a front-page headline. The daily said Annan had United Nations House - Riad Solh Square - Beirut Maison des Nations Unies - Riad Solh - Beyrouth Telephone(01)98l30I/2/3/4-Fax:(01)9815lO/I -981516 (Direct)-E-Mail Address: nfriji(S)escwa.org.lb made exclusive statements to its correspondent in Cairo, saying that the objective of his tour to the region was to put an end to the tragic situation, to consolidate the cease- fire between the Israelis and Palestinians in the aim of reaching a common point from which the two sides can resume negotiations and peace talks. Annan Says Security Council Will be Stricter on Iraqi Weapons, Paper Reports AI-Hayat today reported that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had indicated that the United Nations and the Security Council will be more strict concerning Iraq's armament program despite the current efforts to amend the 11 -year-old sanctions on Iraq. In answer to a question following his meeting with Egyptian President Mubarak yesterday, Annan had said, "The Security Council is reviewing the laqi sanctions programme and the idea that the Council is looking at is to ease up the economic sanctions andin fact have a set of controls of blockages on the economic items going in for the benfit of the people, but will be stricter on the weapons side." Iraq Dispatches Letter of Protest to the UN Meanwhile, Iraqi Acting Foreign Minister Tareq Aziz yesterday said he has dispatched a letter of complaint to Secretary-General Annan to protest the British and U.S. violations of Iraq's airspace, AI-Hayat reported. Aziz said the United Nations must take the necessary measures to stop those violations and to hold the U.S. and Britain responsible for such violations. Hizbullah Attempts to Show its Deterrence Capabilities Two days ago and for the first time since Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon last year, Hizbullah's anti-aircraft gunners fired at Israeli warplanes that had violated Lebanon's airspace over south Lebanon. This Hizbullah reaction carries particular importance "because of the circumstances concerning the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation, because it expands the scope of Hizbullah's activities beyond its operations in the Shebaa Farms and because it took place a few days prior to the arrival of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to Lebanon," Roseanna Boumounsef wrote in a news analysis for An-Nahar today. According to Boumounsef, Hizbullah's retaliation to the Israeli warplane violations prior to Annan's arrival highlights two main issues: 1- there are daily recurrent Israeli violations which cannot be ignored and which the UN has been incapable of stopping; 2- Maintaining stability in south Lebanon does not mean Lebanon should relinquish its right over the Shebaa Farms or its calls for a comprehensive peace. Furthermore, diplomats quoted by Boumounsef indicated that Hizbullah's firing at Israeli warplanes may be part of a new role played by Hizbullah to temporarily replace the operations in the Shebaa Farms which are on hold for the time being due to Lebanese and Syrian considerations. Nasrallah's Statements Indicate that Israeli Captives Are Alive Annan Expected to Raise the Issue of Prisoners in Lebanon and Syria In a speech on Tuesday, Hizbullah's Secretary-General indirectly affirmed that the three Israeli soldiers and a reserve officer held by the Islamic resistance group were still alive, according to diplomatic sources quoted by An-Nahar today. The sources said that when Nasrallah stated, "There are people in captivity and they may die and I will not be responsible," he indirectly and for the first time indicated that they are alive. Diplomats speculating over Nasrallah's statements, wondered whether Nasrallah's indication that some captives may die, meant that the prisoners were sick or injured "particularly since there is information that the reserve officer (Elhan Tenenbaum) was not in good health condition," An-Nahar reported. Sources quoted by An-Nahar said understanding Nasrallah's message "was a basic key to pushing the (prisoners swap) negotiations forward." According to foreign diplomatic sources, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was almost bound to raise the issue of the four Israeli prisoners held by Hizbullah in Lebanon and in Syria although the main objective of his regional tour was political concerning the Israeli-Palestinian situation, An-Nahar reported. It said Annan should raise the issue not only because he had pledged to assist in bringing about the release of Lebanese detainees from Israel but also because he was urged by Israel's President Moshe Kats.av to gain information about the four Israeli prisoners. "Annan will simply attempt in Damascus and in Beirut to gain some information about the four Israeli captives because he is aware that Hizbullah's military operations against Israel were mainly due to Israel's refusal to release the Lebanese detainees from its prisons and to withdraw from the Shebaa Farms," the sources said according to An-Nahar. The sources said that, "If Annan wants to defuse any potentially explosive situation that would result in military warfare in the region, he must not only seek to gain information about the four Israeli prisoners but he should also try to convince Israeli premier Ariel Sharon to release the Lebanese detainees from Israeli prisons," the sources recommended. An Honest Message to Secretary-General Annan The visit of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the region following nine months of bloody Intifada is "suspicious and late" and is unlikely to achieve any concrete results, Marwan El-Qassem, former Jordanian foreign minister, wrote in an Op-Ed for the leading Jordanian daily El-Rai. According to Qassem, the Secretary- General only visited the region once since the outbreak of the Intifada, following Hizbullah's capture of three Israeli soldiers. Annan and other international emissaries converged on the region "to save three Israeli soldiers and not three million Palestinians under siege," Qassem contended. Qassem said Annan's current visit to the region also fell in line with internaitonal efforts to save Israel from its crisis. "When the Israeli blood started flowing and when Sharon's government found itself incapable of responding ...the U.S. dispatched its envoy and the CIA director ...they were followed by EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Javier Solana and then Secretary-General Annan, all in the aim of helping Israel and toning down the Intifada." According to Qassem, Annan's visit is bound to fail because its objective "is not to achieve what is just and right and to implement the requirements of UN resolutions but it is aimed at saving Israel from its crisis at the expense of Palestinian rights and at the expense of the UN's credibility...This path is contrary to the path of peace, justice and security." Kofi Annan Reflects U.S. Position or the International Legitimacy? In another Op-Ed published by the leading Jordanian daily EI-Rai today, Mohammad Kharroub said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's visit to the region was aimed at promoting the U.S. and Israeli policies.
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