Syria would consider pulling its troops out of Lebanon if Beirut asks, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq Shara said Friday.
"The fact that some people say that the Syrian army should leave Lebanon is not reason enough to leave," Shara said on Qatari satellite television channel Al-Jazira.
"There is a (Lebanese) government, a president and a parliament. When they decide that there is no further need for the presence of Syrian forces, Syria will certainly take that position into consideration," he added.
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud "exercises total authority and sovereignty in Lebanon. If he needs help from Syria, that will be accorded, and that does not constitute interference," Shara asserted - DOHA (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
