Syria rebuffs Israeli initiative on Lebanon
The Vice-President of Syria, Abdelhalim Khaddam, has rejected as irrelevant an Israeli offer to accept a continuing Syrian military presence in Lebanon as part of its proposed withdrawal from the south of the country.
Speaking after talks in Paris with President Chirac to discuss the Israeli initiative, Mr Khaddam said Syria’s military presence in Lebanon was not linked to Israeli policy , but was simply a matter between Syria and Lebanon.
Beirut and Damascus reject the Israeli requirement for security guarantees as a condition of its proposed withdrawal.
