Syria has turned a UN Security Council resolution of last week on its head, and says that it requires Israel to withdraw from Mt. Dov in northern Israel.
The UN resolution called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, for "honoring Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence," and for "dismantling the weapons of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias." The resolution was widely understood to be a strong rebuke of Syria's military occupation of Lebanon; in its first formula, the draft resolution specifically demanded the immediate withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon.
The anti-Syrian resolution was supported by the USA, France, Spain, Britain, Germany, Chile, and Romania, while six countries abstained: the Philippines, Russia, Algeria, Brazil, China, and Pakistan. The US representative to the UN said that the resolution stemmed from "the imposition of the Syrian government's political will on Lebanon."
Syria, which objected to the resolution when it was being prepared, quickly recovered and said that the resolution is also aimed at forcing Israel to withdraw from the Har Dov region - an area that Syrian-backed Hizbullah terrorists have been claiming.
"The resolution failed to include Syria by name," a Syrian official said, "meaning that it includes the pullout of Israeli occupation forces from the southern Lebanese Shebaa Farms [Har Dov - ed.]." Many international bodies have supported Israel's claim to this area.
The UN resolution called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, for "honoring Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence," and for "dismantling the weapons of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias." The resolution was widely understood to be a strong rebuke of Syria's military occupation of Lebanon; in its first formula, the draft resolution specifically demanded the immediate withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon.
The anti-Syrian resolution was supported by the USA, France, Spain, Britain, Germany, Chile, and Romania, while six countries abstained: the Philippines, Russia, Algeria, Brazil, China, and Pakistan. The US representative to the UN said that the resolution stemmed from "the imposition of the Syrian government's political will on Lebanon."
Syria, which objected to the resolution when it was being prepared, quickly recovered and said that the resolution is also aimed at forcing Israel to withdraw from the Har Dov region - an area that Syrian-backed Hizbullah terrorists have been claiming.
"The resolution failed to include Syria by name," a Syrian official said, "meaning that it includes the pullout of Israeli occupation forces from the southern Lebanese Shebaa Farms [Har Dov - ed.]." Many international bodies have supported Israel's claim to this area.