SYRIA: US Senator John Kerry tells Damascus of concerns about Hezbollah weapons flow

Record ID: 278580

  • Title: SYRIA: US Senator John Kerry tells Damascus of concerns about Hezbollah weapons flow
  • Date: 2nd April 2010
  • Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (APRIL 1, 2010) (REUTERS): (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) U.S. DEMOCRATIC SENATOR, JOHN KERRY, ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE VENUE CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN KERRY, U.S. DEMOCRATIC SENATOR, SAYING: "We also remain deeply concerned about the flow of weapons in this area, through this area, to Hezbollah. That is something that must stop in order to p
  • Embargoed: 17th April 2010 13:00
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  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA3QY7CB8LJM7D4DFCM5RC1B575
  • Story Text: U.S. Democratic Senator, John Kerry, on a visit to Damascus said on Thursday (April 1, 2010) the United States is concerned about the flow of weapons to Hezbollah which must be stopped in the region.
    "We also remain deeply concerned about the flow of weapons in this area, through this area, to Hezbollah. That is something that must stop in order to promote regional stability and security," Kerry said after meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
    Syria says it lends Hezbollah only political support and denies U.S. and Israeli accusations that it has helped the group re-arm since its 2006 war with Israel in Lebanon.
    Damascus says Hezbollah cannot be expected to disarm as long as Israel continues to occupy Shebaa Farms, a tiny, well-watered slice of land that Syria and Lebanon say is Lebanese territory.
    Kerry ensured that Syria maintains an important role in the peace process in the Middle East.
    He said: "I am convinced that carefully calibrated diplomacy, that if that is what we engage in, that Syria will play a very important role in achieving a comprehensive peace in the region and in putting an end to the five decades of conflict that have plagued everybody in this region. That's our hope, that's our challenge, and we're committed to continue to work at it."
    Kerry, who was previously in Lebanon where he met with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, met also with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem.
    Washington has said its rapprochement with Damascus is not open-ended and that it wants to see real Syrian policy changes.
    U.S. President Barack Obama opened channels after taking office 14 months ago, but also renewed sanctions. In February he named an ambassador to Damascus after a five-year absence.
    Robert Ford, the ambassador-designate, told the Senate Foreign Relations committee at his confirmation hearing on March 16 that a regional war could erupt if Syria did not stop what he termed its supply of long-range weapons to Hezbollah.
    Ford said U.S. sanctions would not be lifted as long as Syria backed Hezbollah, but acknowledged that Damascus had helped cut the flow of foreign fighters across its territory into Iraq, a major U.S. demand for the last five years.
    Another diplomat in Damascus said U.S. officials had made it clear during their meetings with their Syrian counterparts that the issue of Hezbollah's weapons was "a ticking bomb."
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