Fuel for Lebanon's Next War

[New York Times] Editorial - If another war between Lebanon and Israel is to be prevented, the traffic of Hizbullah arms and fighters across the Syrian-Lebanese border must be stopped. But as an alarming report to the Security Council made clear this week, that flow of deadly arms continues unimpeded. The Security Council, whose main job is supposed to be preventing wars, needs to move quickly to help Lebanon control its border, and it needs to pressure Syria into finally cooperating. Ever since Damascus pulled its troops back home - in the wake of the almost certainly Syrian-ordered assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister - Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, has seemed determined to prevent Lebanon from reclaiming its full sovereignty. Assad seems to believe that Syria's international clout is strengthened by a well-armed Hizbullah and a Lebanon unable to control its borders. The Security Council needs to summon the will to convince him that he is wrong.


2007-06-29 01:00:00

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