Mansour: Lebanon’s Special Ties with Syria Force it to Distance Itself from Decisions against it

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour defended on Monday Lebanon’s position of distancing itself from the Syrian crisis and Arab League decisions on the unrest.

He said before a delegation from the Editors Syndicate: “Our special ties with Syria force Lebanon to take a stand that would not harm its interests.”

“A country like Morocco, which is so far away from Syria, can adopt Arab League decisions against the country because it will not be directly affected by the repercussions of such a stance,” he said.

Lebanon on the other hand, would be affected by any economic or commercial sanctions on Syria, added the minister.

“Lebanon is a sectarian state and Syria is a secular one, but we share security and stability and this is where our higher interests lie, regardless of whoever does not want Lebanon to have ties with Syria,” Mansour stressed.

Furthermore, he noted that 90 percent of Lebanon’s exports to the Arab Gulf pass through Syria and therefore Lebanon would be greatly harmed should the border with Syria be closed.

He stated: “The developments in Syria are affecting Lebanon … do they want us to distance ourselves from ourselves?”

The special ties between Lebanon and Syria date back thousands of years, he continued.

“Rulers and people change, but the reality on the ground doesn’t,” Mansour said.

Addressing diplomatic appointments, the foreign minister revealed that 86 of the appointments have been complete and that he had relayed them to the Civil Defense Board.

“Lebanon had not witnessed such vacancies since the time of independence,” he noted.