SYRIA: UN secretary general Kofi Annan said yesterday that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad had promised to enforce an arms embargo on Hizbullah under a UN resolution that halted Israel's war with the Lebanese group.
"The president informed me that Syria supports security council resolution 1701 and will help in its implementation," Mr Annan told reporters after talks with Dr Assad in Damascus.
"While stating Syrian objections to the presence of foreign forces along the Syrian-Lebanese border, the president committed to me that Syria will take all necessary measures to implement in full paragraph 15 of the resolution," Mr Annan added, referring to a provision that bans illegal arms shipments to Lebanon.
Mr Annan said Syria would beef up border security and was ready to run joint patrols with the Lebanese army.
Syrian leaders have been angered by an Israeli demand for international troops to deploy on the Lebanese-Syrian border, the main conduit in the past for Hizbullah weapons supplies.
Lebanon, which has sent 8,600 soldiers to patrol the frontier, says it has no plans to ask UN troops to join them.
Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moualem told reporters later that no weapons were crossing from his country to the guerrillas in Lebanon. "No arms are being smuggled to the resistance [ Hizbullah] from Syria," he said.
On the sidelines of a conference in Italy, Israeli deputy prime minister Shimon Peres repeated Israel's demand for UN verification of procedures on the border.
Meanwhile, the party of Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said in a statement yesterday that last Saturday night Lebanese security officials had allowed arms and ammunition to enter the country from Syria at the main Masnaa crossing point.
Mr Jumblatt, speaking to the Arabic satellite channel al-Arabiya, added: "Several convoys crossed the Syrian-Lebanese border a week ago at night . . . especially a convoy that was seized by the Lebanese army with 1,500kg (3,300lb) of dynamite, of TNT. These materials are not meant to fight Israel. These are materials for sabotage in Lebanon," Mr Jumblatt said. Lebanese officials denied the allegations.
After leaving Syria, Mr Annan flew to the Gulf state of Qatar, the only Arab state currently with a seat on the UN Security Council.
- (Reuters)