Lebanon’s Stance on Syria Creates Heated Debate, Opposition Might Withdraw Confidence from FM

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said on Monday that his position at the Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo doesn’t express his personal stance but that of the Lebanese cabinet.

“The resolution taken by the Arab ministers was adopted before the Arab committee, charged with following up the situation in Syria, presented its report to the ministerial council to be thoroughly discussed,” Mansour told As Safir newspaper in remarked published on Monday.

Arab League foreign ministers voted 18 out of 22 to suspend Syria, effective November 16, over its failure to comply with an agreement to end the bloodshed, in which according to the United Nations at least 3,500 people have died since mid-March.

Syria, Yemen and Lebanon voted against the measure while Iraq abstained.

The League also recommended the withdrawal of Arab envoys from Damascus and agreed on sanctions, while inviting "all currents in the Syrian opposition" to meet at its headquarters in Cairo to map out a transitional period.

Mansour stressed that “something was previously prepared, because the ministers didn’t get the chance to discuss the decisions.”

He noted: “Syria has taken a constructive step by calling on the Arabs to hold a summit to discuss the situation in the country.”

“The (Arabs) have to agree with their demand… Syria wants to prove its good intentions and will to cooperate with the Arab League to resolve the crisis,” the minister stressed.

High-ranking ministerial sources expressed belief that the cabinet will have to face negative repercussions, locally, regionally and internationally, due to its position at the Arab League FMs meeting.

The sources noted to An Nahar newspaper Monday that Mansour’s position wasn’t discussed among the cabinet members before the vote at the Arab meeting, which will probably be tackled when the government will be next convened.

They added that Lebanon had to disavow itself from any decision taken on Syria in order to commit to the neutral position that Prime Minister Najib Miqati has continuously stressed on.

The daily reported that opposition MPs will argue Lebanon’s position at the upcoming parliamentary session on Wednesday.

It remarked that the MPs might ask the parliament to withdraw confidence from Minister Mansour.

As Safir newspaper reported that Mansour will head to Morocco on Monday to join the Turkish Arab Economic Forum and the Arab League Foreign Ministers meeting on November 16 to follow up on the Syrian crisis.