Council Passes Measure Against Syria
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

UNITED NATIONS – The Security Council last night called for the removal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, where 20,000 Syrian troops have been stationed since 1976 in an occupation that was previously never challenged.
The resolution passed mere hours before a crucial meeting of the Lebanese Parliament, which was scheduled to vote today to ratify a measure passed last week by the Cabinet. The measure amended the Lebanese Constitution to allow the Syrian-favored president, Emile Lahoud, to serve for three additional years beyond his current term, which expires in November.
“The government of Syria has imposed its political will on Lebanon,” said the American ambassador to the U.N., John Danforth, explaining the need for a quick vote. “It is clear that Lebanese parliamentarians have been pressured, even threatened, by Syria and its agents to make them comply.”
Ten council members supported the resolution, while Russia, China, Algeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Brazil abstained. It marked a rare instance of cooperation between France and America, which initiated the measure. It was co-sponsored by Germany and Britain.
In order to secure the necessary council votes, however, a threat of “additional measures” – diplomatic language for international sanctions – was dropped from the additional text.
In addition, rather than explicitly demanding Syrian troops immediately leave Lebanon, the amended resolution called on “all remaining forces” to withdraw. This allowed the Syrian ambassador, Fayssal Mekdad, to argue that the reference is to Israeli troops, still present in a border area known as the Shaba farms.
“There are no militias in Lebanon,” argued a Lebanese Foreign Ministry official, Mohammed Issa, referring to a call by the council to disarm all militias, which was a reference to the Syrian and Iran-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah. Mr. Issa, however, argued that these are “resistance forces” to Israel’s “remaining occupation” of Lebanon.
“Except for the Syrians, everybody realizes exactly who this resolution refers to,” Israel’s ambassador, Dan Gillerman, told The New York Sun, noting that the U.N. certified in 2000 that Israel has completely withdrawn from all of Lebanon. He added that rather than a seat on the council, which Syria had until last year, it belongs “on the dock, being accused by the council.”
Regardless of the setbacks, the resolution marked a victory for Washington, which last year passed a law threatening Syria with sanctions if it does not quit its meddling in Lebanon and end its support for terrorism.
In the past, the council only hinted at its desire for an end to the Syrian occupation, as in a 1982 resolution that called for “strict respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty… under the sole and exclusive authority of the Lebanese government through the Lebanese Army.” The current resolution takes that measure one step further.