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French mediation with Syria still on: Nasrallah
Taipei Times, Taiwan, January 4, 2008
AFP, BEIRUT
Hezbollah chief
Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday that France's mediation
with Syria on Lebanon's political crisis would go on despite
the two countries breaking off contacts over the issue.
The head of the
pro-Syrian Shiite militant group said in an interview with
Lebanese television that "France's mediation has not
finished, despite President Nicolas Sarkozy inappropriately
raising the tone" of the talks by officially halting
contacts with Syria.
"The French and
the Syrians are attempting to arrive at a compromise ... but
if this mediation fails, there will not be others, and the
opposition will mobilize using all peaceful means possible,"
he said without providing further details.
Syrian Foreign
Minister Walid Muallem announced on Wednesday that Syria was
breaking off contacts with France on the political crisis in
Lebanon, responding to a similar gesture by Paris three days
ago.
He said that
Syria had been surprised by Sarkozy's announcement on Sunday
that France was cutting contacts, as it came just two days
after Damascus had reached agreement with Paris on a
comprehensive deal to end the crisis.
Sarkozy accused
Syria on Sunday of failing to match its words about wanting
a settlement to the crisis in Lebanon with deeds on the
ground.
Lebanon's
Syrian and Iranian-backed opposition has been campaigning
for a government of national unity ever since November 2006,
when its six ministers quit the Cabinet and launched a
sit-in outside the government offices.
Also in
Wednesday's interview, Nasrallah said that negotiations were
ongoing on the possible release of two Israeli soldiers
captured by Hezbollah in the summer of 2006. |
