By Nabil Al Mulhem
Albawaba.com - Damascus
A former Lebanese official, who requested anonymity, has claimed that a powerful church figure has asked Israeli Likud leader Ariel Sharon who visited him recently to work on establishing a federation between Lebanon and Israel.
The anonymous source, who conveyed this information to some politicians, said the Church official and ten other people met with Sharon to discuss this issue.
In an interview with Albawaba.com, the official sharply criticized Syria’s policies of maintaining close ties with some prominent Lebanese figures who later used their ties to achieve gains and interests that shift away from the brotherly ties with Syria. “They even talked about driving Syria out of Lebanon using Israel’s rhetoric in the wake of its troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon earlier this year,” something that revealed serious setbacks in Lebanese-Syrian alliances, he said.
Furthermore, the same figures are now preparing to reopen the file of missing Lebanese nationals in order to release a list of 600 said to be missing in Syrian jails although they know that most of them perished in the civil war. Their families know that they have never been jailed in Syria.
The former official said that some of the Lebanese figures, who were close to Damascus, had contacted the Human Rights Watch and that they had voiced reservations on Syria’s decision to free Lebanese prisoners. Instead, it called for the release of others which it claimed were still imprisoned in Syria but it didn’t verify its claim.
The report of the human rights organization included the names of two clergymen, Alpeir Shoufan and Suleiman Abu Khalil, arrested in Beit Meri, member of the Phalangist political bureau Butrus Khawanth and journalist Florence Raad.
The Lebanese source said authors of the report sent to the human rights organization know that the four men and women were killed by members of an extremist group of the Lebanese force’s militia. The source adds that their names were being used by those who were against Syria’s presence in Lebanon and who have been trying to involve the Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Sfeir in their plans.
Sfeir has recently arrived at an understanding with Damascus that led to the belief that a formula could be reached by both Lebanon and Syria which would be satisfactory to both sides.
Damascus, according to the source, prefers to conduct a dialogue with the Lebanese government, but will take into account the views of Lebanese spiritual and nationalist leaders.
He told Albawaba that he had recently met with senior Syrian officials who reiterated president Bashar Assad’s interest in improving ties with Lebanon and bridging any gaps. But according to Syria, certain issues have to be considered like the fact that Lebanese territory could be used by Israel to penetrate Damascus, something that Syria cannot condone, while indicating that other issues could be discussed including posts where Syrian army troops have been stationed in Lebanon.
But the Lebanese official indicated that the troop deployment is a very delicate issue, and any discussion should involve only officials from both countries due to security concerns.
He said the Syrian president has asked security officials not to establish any relations with any party at the expense of others in Lebanon, stressing that Damascus is open to dialogue with any party in Lebanon’s political spectrum.
The official said the Syrian president’s instructions were to reveal Lebanese figures who exercise power in the name of Syria falsely or claim to be supported by Damascus.
He said such practices will now stop because Damascus has realized the need to unveil those who use their ties with Syria causing setbacks in the two countries relations.
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
