Syrian Ambassador Downplays Lebanon's Complaint to Arab League
Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali denied on Wednesday that Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour had handed him a letter of protest over the recent cross-border attacks on Lebanon, playing down an attempt to file a complaint with the Arab League.
“I haven’t been delivered and will not be handed over any letter of protest from the Lebanese foreign ministry,” Ali told reporters after holding talks with Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour.
“I asked for an appointment with the minister to hold consultations on several issues,” he said, adding “he did not summon me.”
Ali's visit to Mansour came against the backdrop of a decision by top Lebanese officials on Monday to submit to the Arab League a letter of protest condemning the spillover of fire from Syria onto Lebanon.
The officials tasked Mansour with preparing documents and reports drafted by the army on the attacks on border towns and villages and refer them to the Arab League.
But Ali accused the organization of “contradicting itself by allowing countries to give arms to terrorists in Syria.”
“The Arab League no longer has the authority to receive any complaint,” the Syrian ambassador told the reporters.
He echoed similar remarks made by Mansour who has argued that the complaint should be filed against the Arab League for taking a decision to arm the Syrian opposition that is fighting the regime of President Bashar Assad.
Ali reiterated that the rebels neither want stability nor security.
“The terrorists are using the Lebanese border to attack Syria,” Ali said. “Some Lebanese have went there to participate in the killing of Syrians.”
Two people were killed and four others wounded when rockets fired from Syria landed in al-Qasr and Hosh al-Sayyed Ali regions in the northeastern Hermel district on Sunday.
The rebels claimed to have fired the shells, blaming Hizbullah for firing from Lebanon and positions inside Syria on rebel-held areas in the strife-torn Qusayr area in Syria, near the border.
However, recent raids on the northeastern town of Arsal and the northern district of Akkar have been likely carried out by Syrian regime troops.
Ali claimed Wednesday that the Syrian regime hasn't bombarded Lebanese territories. “It has only responded to the sources of fire.”
“And if a few shots were fired in disputed territories then we are keen on resolving the issue through the logic of two states,” he said.
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