(Defense News) Barbara Opall-Rome and Riad Kahwaji - "Damascus has concluded that a pullout from Lebanon would considerably undermine the regime and thus decided not to fully withdraw its forces from Lebanon," said a Syrian-based source. Former Israeli deputy defense minister Ephraim Sneh said Lebanon "fuels 80% of the Syrian economy and is the major source of prestige for Bashar Assad....Those who crowned him would not consider him eligible to remain president if he relinquishes his control over Lebanon." "Arab leaders are concerned that the sight of thousands of Lebanese demonstrators broadcast daily on Arab satellite television stations could encourage opposition movements in their own countries to carry out similar protests to force political reforms demanded by most Arab masses almost everywhere," said Sami Faraj, director of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies.
2005-03-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive