Mansour: Lebanon Will Not Take Part in Syria Arab Observer Mission

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour announced on Saturday that Lebanon will not participate in the Arab observer mission intended to oversee an end to nine months of bloodshed in Syria, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Sunday.

He explained that the decision was reached by President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati, “who deemed Lebanon’s participation as unnecessary.”

The Syrian authorities had welcomed Arab observer mission, adding that Lebanon would have also been welcome had it taken part in the delegation, said the daily.

The Arab observer mission arrived in Syria on Thursday as part of an Arab plan, which also calls for the withdrawal of the military from towns and residential districts, a halt to the violence against anti-regime protesters, and the release of detainees.