Syrian Ambassador Urges Lebanon to Take ‘Strict Measures’ Against Arms Smuggling

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Syria's envoy to Beirut has urged the Lebanese government to prevent cross-border arms smuggling, saying the alleged trafficking was "complementary to terrorism.”

In an interview with the Hizbullah-run website al-Intiqad, Ali Abdul Karim Ali called on Lebanon to take "serious, strict measures to end arms smuggling from Lebanon into Syria and... not give in to international pressure."

His comments were made the same day the Higher Defense Council stressed during a meeting at Baabda palace the prevention of arms smuggling and said it asked security agencies to take stronger measures to fight terrorism.

Ali, the first Syrian ambassador to Lebanon, linked the issue of suspected arms smuggling to claims that al-Qaida was operating along the Lebanese-Syrian border, made earlier this month by Lebanon's Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn.

"Ghosn's exposure of al-Qaida members who are infiltrating Syria via the Lebanese border village of Arsal is an issue that must be dealt responsibly and seriously," Ali was quoted as saying.

"Arms smuggling and terrorism are complementary, and measures to put an end to this matter must be clear and decisive."

Syrian President Bashar Assad blames the violence in his country on "armed terrorist" groups.

The Lebanese government has said it is investigating Ghosn's claims that a terrorist group was smuggling weapons into Syria through Arsal, which borders the Syrian protest hub of Homs.

The March 14-led opposition has meanwhile slammed Ghosn as a "minister for the defense of the Assad regime" over his statements.

Arsal, considered a stronghold of opposition leader and ex-Premier Saad Hariri, has in recent months witnessed a string of deadly incursions by the Syrian army in a bid to crack down on arms smuggling.

Wounded Syrian protesters have crossed the border into Arsal to seek medical care in Lebanon as violence escalates in Homs.

Comments 29
Thumb geha 29 December 2011, 11:56

until when this so called ambassador is going to involve himself in our internal affairs?
what he is doing is just spilling oil on the fire to counter what the PM said yesterday there was no tangible proof of the presence of Al Qaida members.
the syrian defense minister in Lebanon, Gohsn should be treated as a traitor.

Default-user-icon ks (Guest) 29 December 2011, 12:09

what a joke

Default-user-icon Phardo (Guest) 29 December 2011, 12:18

Gabby, when (actually, the proper word to use should be IF, but you know better) ASSad's regime falls, what do you think will happen to Ali Abdul Karim Ali? Should he be hanged in Tripoli or in Akkar? Do you have any preference? How about another method of disposing of him? Or will you pardon him? Your feedback will be very much appreciated because we need to know ASAP. Best regards, buddy. And keep up the good work. Salutations to Dr. Mufehmanchimenchi.

Thumb thepatriot 29 December 2011, 12:40

Aren't you supposed to apologise for the Lebanese citizens gunned down by your army?? Aren't you supposed to apologise for violating our sovereinty? You talk about cross border, but it is you and the like of you who have maintained blurry borders... well you pay the price now!

Default-user-icon LebExile (Guest) 29 December 2011, 12:59

How ironic that Syria is crying over arms smuggling over the border - after they have smuggled arms to hizbollah for years in violation of SC res.1701
They are finally getting a taste of their own medicine - with Al Qaida and weapons flowing freely to Syria from Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq - all countries which have suffered over the years of Syrian subversion and meddling.
God bless the brave men of 3arsal who repulsed the hizbollah when they tried to capture syrian dissidents to send them back to Syria for a certain death. What we're seeing now is the final death blows to the terrorist syrian regime, and good riddance to them!

Default-user-icon Anonymous2 (Guest) 29 December 2011, 13:08

A fanatic yells: Syria gunned down 3 at Lebanese border, they must pay for their crimes! Bomb Syria Now!

A wise man asks: who were the three who were gunned down? whats their background their motivation for being were they were in these volatile times, and above all what were they doing there and why?

Not until such questions are met with investigated answers will a wise man judge the innocent from the guilty or the guilty with the guilty.

until then the true Perpetrators will come out of their holes and try to take full advantage of the situation by pretending they care and aim to cause the death of three to turn into the death of hundreds and thousands.

Default-user-icon axan (Guest) 29 December 2011, 13:26

Habboob afandi, how about having a cup of tea, coffee or mate?

Stop giving us orders and mind your own business, or else return to your bloody country and get lost! And i'm being polite as i don't want to behave like you and your baassist fellows.

Default-user-icon jamal (Guest) 29 December 2011, 13:55

the ambassador is knocking on the wrong door , we donot have guns to smuggle, and we donot have terrorists to export.
Hunting guns ,yes we have, but those who need to buy ,must head to some stores here and there.They can buy after they pay.As for terrorists,if the masacres and killings contiue in Syria ,you will have at least 15 million terrorists>males and females.No need to import.

Thumb tabasco 29 December 2011, 14:21

Rustum Ghazali is the source of the information and our minister "Branch" is too naive for the post !!

Thumb thepatriot 29 December 2011, 15:47

@sweaty
Yes! I am proud to have emotions ya sweaty! You have emotions too: all your posts are full of spite, venim, insults...
If I am not mistaking we have asked repeatedly to the syrian regime a clear demarcation of our borders...unsucessefully...right stinky??
Several Lebanese farmers have died since March. Right stinky? We are not at war with syria...are we stinky? Thanx for making the 1975 invitation an excuse for the syrian. You are obviously one of them!
You smell like moallem...

Missing allouchi 29 December 2011, 16:49

This Syrian idiot should be hanged high new year's eve in DT Beirut with a big stick of Lebanese dynamite up his A$$.

Default-user-icon Roro (Guest) 29 December 2011, 16:52

We Lebanese urge this buffoon to go back to the bin he came out from.

Default-user-icon Gabby (Guest) 29 December 2011, 17:00

I agree.....arms smuggling to the Hezz from Syria must be stopped.

Default-user-icon marie (Guest) 29 December 2011, 17:11

tell this piece of shit to stop killing his people in syria and return home asap please

Default-user-icon MUSTAPHA O. GHALAYINI (Guest) 29 December 2011, 17:12

mrambassador we are just returning the arms that initially belongs to u.

Missing allouchi 29 December 2011, 17:42

sweating_demon, stick to the point and stop acting like a drama queer. We're not talking about the US, Mexico or others!!! we are talking about our countrymen being killed by the Syrian regime and human life is NOT cheap to just ignore and let bygones be bygone. Someone needs to be accountable. and AGAIN stick to the point and stop over analyzing and playing little miss pink psychologist.

Default-user-icon Gabby (Guest) 29 December 2011, 19:13

Hey Phardo. You keep changing your name. The correct word is WHEN. There is no way ASSad and Fat Walid will live through this. The people no longer fear them, and they have rejected their existence. You can laugh now, but not for too much longer. All that is needed are anti-tank weapons, or a no-fly zone (or both). Then let's see how you laugh. The cracks evident now will become a collapse. What will you do with your SSNP flag after that? Will you still be pro-Syrian with a new regime? I am still waiting to hear what you will do in the aftermath. Will you change it to ISNP?

Default-user-icon All Season (Guest) 29 December 2011, 20:36

Dear Damascus evil regime,

you reap what you sow!!

take care,

Lebanon

Default-user-icon Le PheneChien (Guest) 29 December 2011, 20:50

@sweating_satan: What happened to the Hezbollah member that was caught by the Marines in Iraq being smuggled from Lebanon to Syria and then to Iraq to ignite Sunni-Shiite war?
Who armed anti-Arafat PLO (Sa3eka)for 30 yrs and sent them from their bases in Syria to Lebanon to ignite Muslim-Christian havoc similar to today's Iraq?
The problem that you have is that you only view things from one angle and ignore what the true Lebanese felt and endured for over 50 yrs from this Syrian jealous regime of the Lebanese soil.

Default-user-icon Elinoz (Guest) 29 December 2011, 22:48

'What goes around comes around',
'who lafs first lafs last'.

LOL all the way from Downunder at the Syrian.

Missing mansour 30 December 2011, 00:32

sweating_demon just incase you didnt read my earlier post before admin deleted it i hope your family feel a life of misery that the syrians caused many lebanese.Thank you

Thumb jabalamel 30 December 2011, 03:54

the filthy zionist information war department went into berserk madness.
the weapons smuggling in them associates all the rockets that will fall over them and that causes huge fear.
if you read the posts above, you see how is that fear expressed

Default-user-icon Justice Prevails (Guest) 30 December 2011, 05:00

Dear Damascus evil regime,

you reap what you sow.

take care,

Lebanon

Default-user-icon Gabby (Guest) 30 December 2011, 05:04

Tony he can't help it. When you are brainwashed by the filty Hezz information war department. You become the cancer inside Lebanon who rapes Beirut. The Hezz and Assad's heve murdered more Lebanese than even the Israelis, but they want our blind Wiilayet following.

Default-user-icon Sissy (Guest) 30 December 2011, 07:00

@sweating

You claim: "because emotions are private. if you display them in public you're a sissy."
hmmmmm, what do you call a person (not sure about that) who every time he/it appears in public is emotional, yells, screams, threatens by raising his famous "finger", or for that matter his herd of supporters who line up and show emotions in public and shout "Labayka Labayka Nasrullah"..... ? I don't expect an answer coz you've already answered it in your post above!

Default-user-icon ABZ (Guest) 30 December 2011, 09:53

JabalHamrani how old r u? wow Hizb and Amal are now recruiting kids!! i can see now how their fear is expressed....

Thumb jabalamel 30 December 2011, 13:40

the zionist information war department thinks, if they are so brainwashed, that others are brainwashed too

Default-user-icon Gudjarat (Guest) 30 December 2011, 14:19

Gabby,y friend, as much as I would like to believe you, you keep extending the grace period for your "Assad" and his regime, which you have narrowed down to "Fat Walid" apparently! Forget changing my name. Don't shoot me for that, but focus on your seances and tell us once and for all when this "when" will happen, because since 2005 (and perhaps even before you were born) you have been predicting that "ASSad" cannot live through this, that and the other one. And now you have the nerve to tell us it will take anti-tank weapons and a no-fly zone? Why didn't you inform us back when? Are you keeping military and tactical info away from us? Shame on you because I trusted you all the time. Please get back to us with definite dates as you are known to produce. And if you have some difficulty, I can understand. But you can always reach out to the other genius of a visionary, Dr. Makhassochimenchi. Thanks buddy, and Happy New Year if we don't speak until next week. Bests.

Thumb thepatriot 30 December 2011, 15:04

@ABZ
Worse than that...they are recruiting retards!