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Syrian President
Bashar Assad on Tuesday hailed Hezbollah's "achievements" in
the conflict, and warned Israeli leaders to give up on their
"follies and arrogance" and work for peace.
Germany's foreign minister canceled a trip to Syria on
Tuesday in protest over Assad's speech.
Assad said that the United States' plan for a "new Middle
East" has collapsed after what he described as Hezbollah's
successes in fighting against Israel, and warned Israel to
seek peace or risk defeat in the future.
"The Middle East they [the Americans] aspire to ... has
become an illusion," he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said early on in
the conflict that any settlement should be durable and lead
to a "new Middle East" where extremists have no influence.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had planned
to fly to Damascus from the Jordanian capital, Amman, in a
round of talks aimed at resolving the conflict between
Israel and Hezbollah.
Steinmeier called Assad's speech a "negative contribution
that is not in any way justified in view of the current
challenges and opportunities in the Middle East."
"Syria can gain back the confidence of the international
community it has lost with positive and constructive action
- and on that basis pursue its legitimate interests," he
said.
"The speech today... goes in the opposite direction."
Assad, speaking to a journalists' association, said the
region had changed "because of the achievements of the
resistance [Hezbollah]."
"Israel has been trying for decades to gain acceptance in
the region. What Israel should know is that every generation
has more hatred toward it than the generation before," Assad
said.
"Hatred is not a good word. We do not hate and we do not
encourage hatred. But Israel did not leave room in our
region except for hatred."
"We tell them [Israelis] that after tasting humiliation in
the latest battles, your weapons are not going to protect
you - not your planes, or missiles or even your nuclear
bombs... The future generations in the Arab world will find
a way to defeat Israel," Assad said.
"They [Israel] should know that they are before a historic
crossroads. Either they move toward peace and the return of
[Arab] rights or they move in the direction of continued
instability until one generation decides the matter," he
said.
Assad defended Hezbollah and criticized a UN cease-fire
resolution for holding the militant group responsible for
the violence.
"Israel is the one who is responsible," he said. He added
that Israel's supporters in Lebanon - an allusion to the
anti-Syrian parliamentary majority in Beirut - also bear
responsibility.
"The resistance is necessary as much as it is natural and
legitimate," he said.
The fighting in Lebanon had been planned by Israel for some
time, Assad said, but the endeavor failed. He said the war
revealed the limitations of Israel's military power.
"The result was more failure for Israel, its allies and
masters," Assad said.
In a 1982 invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces surrounded
Beirut within seven days of invading, he said. "After five
weeks it [Israel] was still struggling to occupy a few
hundred meters."
"From a military perspective, it [the battle] was decided in
favor of the resistance [Hezbollah]. Israel has been
defeated from the beginning," Assad said. "They [Israelis]
have become a subject of ridicule."
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, speaking in northern Israel
shortly after the Syrian president's remarks, said Syria
must "understand that Lebanon is taking off, or is at least
meant to take off, in a different direction without them."
She said Syria would no longer be able to influence Lebanon
through such groups like Hezbollah.
"There is international agreement regarding the role Syria
played until today and the change it has to make in order to
be accepted by the international community and to play a
more positive role," Livni said.
Assad also lashed out at Arab regimes, without naming them,
who have criticized Hezbollah for the kidnap of two IDF
soldiers, which sparked the war.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan - all allies of the United
States - criticized Hezbollah's actions at the start of the
conflict.
"We do not ask anyone to fight with us or for us ... But he
should at least not adopt the enemy's views," Assad said.
Syria has been sharply criticized by Washington, and U.S.
officials have called on Damascus and its ally Iran to
withdraw support for Hezbollah. Syria has rejected such
demands.
The Syrian leader said U.S. participation was needed for a
peace settlement in the Middle East, but he said peace
cannot be achieved under the administration of U.S.
President George W. Bush.
"This is an administration that adopts the principle of
pre-emptive war that is absolutely contradictory to the
principle of peace," he said. "Consequently, we don't expect
peace soon or in the foreseeable future."
Midway through Assad's speech, members of the audience who
said they were Lebanese stood up loudly thanked Assad.
"Without the support of our sister country Syria, we would
not be able to achieve what we have achieved," one woman
screamed.
The audience then broke into applause and shouts of "With
our blood, with our soul, we redeem you, Oh Bashar!"
'God's promise'
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed Hezbollah
emerged the winner in Lebanon and called the battles "God's
promise."
"God's promises have come true," Ahmadinejad told a huge
crowd waving Hezbollah banners and Iranian flags. "On one
side, it's corrupt powers of the criminal U.S. and Britain
and the Zionist .... with modern bombs and planes. And on
the other side is a group of pious youth relying on God."
Iran and Syria are Hezbollah's main sponsors.
A hard-line Iranian cleric, citing Hezbollah's success in
fireing rockets against Israel during the war, warned Israel
on Tuesday that Iran's 2,000-kilometer missiles would strike
Tel Aviv if Israel "makes an iota of aggression against
Iran," state-run television reported. |
