Syria criticized on Wednesday the top UN diplomat on Lebanese
ties with Syria Terje Roed-Larsen over his recent allegations that
Damascus continues to smuggle weapons into Lebanon, the official
SANA news agency reported.
The allegations were "an attempt to again escalate atmospheres
in the region and further deteriorate Syria's relation with Lebanon
more than ever," said Syria's foreign ministry in a letter to UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan and President of the Security
Council.
It added that Larsen's allegations also seek to divert the UN
Security Council attention away into "marginal issues rather than
following up its main duties through concentration on non-essential
and insignificant issues and neglecting the sensitive issues which
destabilize safety and stability of Lebanon."
"Mr. Larsen also ignored Israeli flagrant continued violations
of Lebanon's sovereignty, airspace and waters and national soil,"
said the letter.
It stressed that "the statements issued by Lebanese official
circles, including Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs and
Army Commander, had denied as unfounded Mr. Larsen's allegations
and were a strong blow to the credibility of the report and its
writer."
"Such reports which are full of fallacies and selectivity could
only lead to weakening the credibility of the peoples in the region
in the honesty of some UN envoys," said the letter.
Syria has pledged to increase border security to stop flow of
weapons into the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas in accordance with
UN resolution 1701 which brokered a truce between the militant
group and Israel after a 34-day-long war.
(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2006)
