Syria Could Accept Reasonable Amendments To Avoid U.S. Veto Blocking Condemnation

     Al-Hayat      2003/10/7

Syria implied yesterday that it could consider "reasonable amendments" to the draft resolution adopted by the Arab Group and presented to the Security Council, in condemnation of the Israeli aggression on its territories. In parallel to worldwide condemnations, with the exception of the U.S., the tension along the Lebanese-Israeli border escalated last night as fire was exchanged with the Israeli army in the settlement of Metulla.

President George Bush reiterated Israel's right of self-defense, but added that it should avoid escalating tension in the region. A U.S. official from the State Department said that Washington had notified Israel of the need to abstain from escalating the state of security with Syria.

Saudi Arabia condemned Israel's aggression, considering it a "dangerous provocation and a violation of Syria's sovereignty and of principles of international law." It called upon the international community to put an end to Israel's "repeated aggressions against the Palestinian people and to salvage the peace process." These statements came yesterday during the Saudi cabinet meeting, presided by King Fahd bin Abdulaziz and held in Riyadh.

The Israeli aggression drew Arab and international condemnation yesterday, but the U.S. representative at the UN, John Negroponte, said his country would oppose any Security Council resolution regarding the Middle East unless it included explicit condemnation of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, in their quality of organizations responsible for terrorist operations, and unless it called for the dismantling of the infrastructure supporting terrorism regardless of their location, in application of Council resolution 1373.

The U.S. delegation distributed yesterday what it called the "Negroponte principles" with regards to the Security Council resolution on the Middle East. The document includes five principles: condemning terrorism and instigation against it in all its ways, classifying Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade as organizations responsible for terrorism, calling for the dismantlement of the infrastructure supporting terrorist operations regardless of their locatation, inviting all parties to conduct a settlement through negotiations, accepting the fact that the Israeli withdrawal to its September 28, 2001 position is linked to the improvement of the security situation, through reciprocal steps taken by the Israelis and the Palestinians upon the invitation of the Quartet, which authored the Roadmap.

Representatives of countries members of the Security Council asked Syria for more time to receive instructions from their capitals when the draft resolution to officially condemn the Israeli aggression was presented and ready to be put to vote.

The draft resolution "strongly condemns the military aggression carried by Israel against the sovereignty and territory of the Syrian Arab Republic on last Sunday in violation of the charter of the United Nations, the rules and principles of international law and relevant Security Council resolutions."

The draft resolution considers the attack as a violation of a May 31, 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria. It also demands Israel not act in a way that threatens regional and international security and warns of the dangerous consequences of the deteriorating situation in the region. The draft tasks UN Secretary General to report to the council in a month on Israel's compliance.

Syrian officials said that they were not expecting a U.S. veto, and that they hadn't been informed that the resolution would be vetoed; however there were clear indications that the draft, in its present form, would be vetoed if presented to vote.

The Syrian strategy, supported by the Arabs, was to obtain the nine necessary votes for the draft resolution to be adopted as a first step. The possibility that the draft resolution wouldn't be open to vote was indeed considered, as this would require the draft to relate the Israeli aggression to an act of retaliation to terrorism.

The Arab Group held a meeting yesterday to discuss the strategy towards the Syrian issue within the Council and to examine the action timing in the Security Council to present a draft resolution asking Israel to put an end to building the separation wall in the West Bank, whilst giving priority to the Syrian issue.

The UN Security Council held a public session two days ago, on Sunday, in which 33 states participated. The overwhelming majority considered the aggression as a violation of international law and of the UN charter. However, U.S. representative refused to condemn the Israeli aggression, and on the contrary, took the opportunity to condemn Syria, accusing it of harboring terrorists.

In Washington, a State Department official informed Al-Hayat that the U.S. administration asked the Israeli government to practice self-restraint and called upon Syria to cease its support to terrorist organizations.

He said the U.S. administration was worried that a military escalation between Israel and Syria could lead to complicating the regional and international situation, nad hinder the reconstruction process in Iraq. He explained that while they couldn't stop Israel from using its right to take preemptive measures against terrorism, they invited all parties to cooperate in maintaining stability in the region.

In Beirut, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Syrian President Bashar Al Assad reportedly agreed, in a phone conversation, that the two countries would face the aggression by inviting the UN to assume its responsibilities.

While the Palestinian camps in Lebanon were on a state of high alert, fearing they might be the next Israeli target following the aggression on the Palestinian camp in Syria, Hezbollah called upon the Lebanese people to be aware of the dangerous developments represented by the aggression on Syria, and to get ready to face any possibility against an enemy led by a crazy and stupid leadership.

Amid this tension, a striking incident occurred last night along the Israeli-Lebanese border, when Israeli forces opened fire from the Metulla settlement on the main road between Kfar Kila and Adaysseh, hitting one car and two houses. But Israel denied this incident.

Reporters said that Hezbollah had cut the road that had been targeted, while Israeli helicopters were circling over the region. A UNIFIL spokesman said that one of its containers was hit by three bullets, shot from the Israeli side.

AFP quoted Lebanese security officials and residents saying that Israeli soldiers located on the Lebanese border responded to the shooting from the Lebanese side, which injured one Israeli. Sources added that the fire was coming from a car located on the Lebanese side and was aimed at an Israeli patrol. The sources also said that the soldiers opened fire during 10 minutes in retaliation.