Moualem: Israel beating war drum
Photo: AP
Syria says won't be Israel's 'policeman'
Minister denies Syria gave Hezbollah Scuds, asks 'why are arms allowed to Israel, forbidden to Arabs?'
Syria defied Western pressure on Sunday over its support for Hezbollah and said it will not act as a policeman for Israel to prevent weapons from reaching the Lebanese Shi'ite movement.
"Did Israel ever stop arming itself, did it stop instigating violence or making military maneuvers, why are arms forbidden to Arabs and allowed to Israel?" Foreign Minister Walid Moualem said after meeting his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle.
Meeting
Yitzhak Benhorin
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman arrives in Damascus, apparently in light of Americans dissatisfaction with Syria's conduct. According to American official, Kerry and Assad discussed 'regional issues'
Citing Israeli occupation of Arab land and the technical state of war between Syria and Israel, Moualem added, "Israel is beating the drum of war. In the absence of real peace every thing is possible."
Regarding Israeli and US accusations that Syria was sending long-range Scud missiles to Hezbollah, he said Damascus only gives the group political backing and that Israel may be using the accusation as a pretext for a military strike.
"A Scud missile is as big as this room. How could it be hidden and smuggled with Israeli planes and satellites all over the region?" Moualem asked, adding that cumbersome Scuds were not suited to Hezbollah's guerrilla tactics.
Hezbollah's weapons have been a focus of Western diplomacy toward Syria in the last several months. US Senator John Kerry, who had raised the issue with President Bashar al-Assad last month, met Assad again in the Syrian capital on Saturday.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner also met Assad earlier.
France had led Western moves to rehabilitate Syria, but Kouchner said on May 2 that Hezbollah's array of weapons made the situation "dangerous" and that France wants Syria to "guarantee the security" of the Syrian-Lebanese border.
The United States has avoided giving a view on whether the Scud transfer happened, but a US official said President Barack Obama is likely to raise concerns about Syria arming Hezbollah when he meets Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri on Monday.
