Syrian Opposition Urges Salam's Govt. to Withdraw Hizbullah Fighters
The opposition Syrian National Coalition on Sunday congratulated Prime Minister Tammam Salam on the formation of the cabinet after an 11-month deadlock, urging the new government to “withdraw Hizbullah's militias” from Syria.
“In its name and in the name of the Syrian people, the Syrian National Coalition congratulates Lebanese premier Mr. Tammam Salam and the entire brotherly Lebanese people on the formation of the new Lebanese cabinet,” the Coalition said in a statement.
“As the Coalition wishes this government success in addressing the Lebanese domestic issues and achieving the demands of the Lebanese people and its urgent needs at the economic and social levels, in addition to the issue of Syrian refugees and the burdens the Lebanese are facing while hosting them, it reminds ... PM Salam that the first decision of his cabinet must be related to the withdrawal of Hizbullah's militias from all Syrian regions,” it added.
The Coalition said the step must take place “in line with the Baabda Declaration and (Maronite) Patriarch (Beshara) al-Rahi's latest charter.”
“The presence of these militias on Syrian soil represents a blatant violation of international and Lebanese laws and a treason against the deep-rooted relations between the two brotherly peoples,” the Coalition added.
Hizbullah argues that its military intervention in Syria is necessary to fend off the threat of Qaida-linked groups seeking to infiltrate Lebanon and to prevent the fall of Syria in the hands of “Israel and the U.S.”
The party's rivals in Lebanon have strongly rejected the presence of its fighters in Syria, saying that contradicts with the Baabda Declaration, which Hizbullah had endorsed and which calls for neutralizing Lebanon from regional conflicts.
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