”””” JERUSALEM, May 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said
Monday that Syria may participate in the planned Mideast peace summit only if it
agrees to a series of Israeli demands, Israel Radio reported.
””””The prime minister presented the preconditions before the the Knesset
(parliament) Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, saying Syria should first
end its "occupation" in Lebanon and dismantle the Syria-backed Lebanese
resistance group of Hezbollah, or Party of God.
””””The preconditions set by Sharon also include the expulsion of Iranian
militant groups from Lebanon, the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the
southern Lebanon, and the disclosure of information on captured and missing
Israelis.
””””It is the first time for Sharon to officially set preconditions for Syria's
participance to the peace summit, which was called by Israel and supported by
the United States and Saudi Arabia. Enditem
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