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Arabs back Syria on peace talks with Israel

BEIRUT: Arab foreign ministers lined up on Saturday behind Syria's demand that Israel make its planned withdrawal from Lebanon part of a broader Middle East peace settlement.

In a show of support Syria had been seeking, the final resolution of the semi-annual meeting of Arab foreign ministers called on Israel to return occupied Arab land, including all of Syria's Golan Heights.

The 18-point statement also asked Arab countries moving closer to Israel to reconsider ties because of attacks on Lebanon and to boycott multilateral peace conferences with Israel until there is substantial progress in direct peace talks -- positions advocated by Syria.

"The first rule of a comprehensive and just peace lies in full Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon... and from the Golan until the 4 June, 1967 line and from the Palestinian occupied land, including Jerusalem," said the statement.

The meeting, held in Beirut to show support for Lebanon following Israeli attacks, convened after Washington orchestrated a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks later this month, but while Israeli-Syrian talks remain suspended.

Israel's decision a week ago to leave Lebanon by July regardless of a peace treaty -- threatening to weaken Syria's hand in talks to recover its Golan Heights -- has increased uncertainty over reviving Syrian-Israeli talks.

"Security is not achieved by the use of force but through abiding by international legitimacy and its decisions," Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdulilah al-Khatib said in a series of ministerial presentations that included the same key passage.

Khatib said Israel must withdraw from Lebanon and Syria's Golan Heights, captured in 1967, and satisfy Palestinian demands for a state with its capital in Jerusalem.

"These are requirements for peace which we insist on, agree upon and work for," said Khatib, who represents the only Arab country beside Egypt to sign a peace treaty with Israel.

As ministers convened, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud was quoted warning Israel against pulling out of Lebanon unless it was part of a broader peace agreement.

"An Israeli unilateral withdrawal will not work. It will lead to another war," Lahoud told the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper.

Last month Israel bombed three Lebanese power stations, wounding 20 civilians, in reprisal for guerrilla attacks on its forces.

Arab League Secretary-General Esmat Abdel-Meguid met the nine-member parliamentary bloc of Hizbollah, the main guerrilla force, to underline the broad Arab support for their right to fight Israeli occupation.

Israel's announcement it will end its 22-year occupation of south Lebanon followed increasingly effective guerrilla attacks. Israel has lost seven soldiers this year in Lebanon.

But Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy also said withdrawal would end Syria's power to control attacks inside Lebanon, which give it leverage in peace talks to recover the Golan Heights.

Syria is demanding Israel commit itself to returning all the Golan before resuming the talks suspended in January, while Israel has focused on its priorities of security, water and normalisation of relations.-Reuters