As Syrian and other Arab government ministers looked on, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice used a conference on Middle East democracy and development Saturday to criticize political repression in Syria and call for the release of political prisoners there.
“We continue to support the Syrian people's aspirations for liberty, democracy, and justice under the rule of law," Rice said at the start of a 36-nation gathering.
“We would like to see an end to the arbitrary detentions of democratic and human rights activists," Rice said.
She mentioned democracy activist Kamal Labwani by name. He was arrested at the Damascus airport Tuesday night, after returning from
the United States and a meeting at the White House with President George W. Bush's deputy national security adviser.
Rice praised democratic advances in Afghanistan and Iraq where she made a surprise visit Friday, and noted that with the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon last spring “1 million citizens in Lebanon have demanded and won their independence from Syrian domination.”
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa looked on without expression as Rice spoke.
Rice's remarks on Syria echoed a White House statement Thursday and is part of sustained U.S. criticism of the Damascus government over its alleged involvement in the assassination of an anti-Syrian politician in Lebanon, alleged help for terrorists in Iraq and the Palestinian territories, and its human rights record at home.
Labwani, a physician and founder of the Democratic Liberal Gathering, was also among political prisoners arrested in 2001 when the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad cracked down on incipient political opposition. He was sentenced for 10 years and was released in 2004.
RSS
