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FM brands as nonsense US, French
allegations of Syrian's role in killings of
Lebanese political figures.
TAMPERE, Finland - Syrian Foreign Minister
Walid Muallem on Tuesday accused the US and
France of interference over Lebanon and
rejected similar accusations levelled by
Paris on Damascus.
Muallem branded as "nonsense" US and French
allegations surrounding Syrian's role in the
killings of Lebanese political figures.
"We know who's interfering, the Americans
and the French," he said, speaking on the
sidelines of a Euromed summit of EU and
Mediterranean foreign ministers held in
Tampere, Finland.
"We are playing our role according to the
interest of our people and the regional
interest, we are playing a constructive
role," Muallem added.
Meanwhile French Foreign Minister Philippe
Douste-Blazy reaffirmed the need for
Lebanon's "sovereignty, independence and
desire for freedom" to be respected.
"It (Lebanon) should not be held hostage to
special interests which are not its own,"
Douste-Blazy said.
Both Paris and Washington refuse all contact
with the Syrian leadership and have
regularly accused Damascus of attempting to
destabilise Lebanon.
Syria came under renewed suspicion after
last week's assassination of an anti-Syrian
Lebanese minister, Pierre Gemayel, in
Beirut.
Gemayel, scion of a prominent Christian
family and outspoken critic of Syria, was
the latest in a series of political
opponents of Damascus to be killed in the
past two years.
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