Damascus: Syrian President Bashar Al Assad on Saturday denied any involvement in Lebanon's internal politics and told Arab leaders gathered for an annual summit that internal divisions in Beirut were blocking a pact on national unity among the Lebanese.
"I owe it to the transparency between me and my brothers, the Arab leaders, to clarify that what has been circulating about the so-called Syrian interference in Lebanon ...... I would like to say to you, honestly, that what is happening on the ground is the exact opposite.
"Pressure has been exerted on Syria for over a year aimed at obliging us to interfere in the internal affairs of Lebanon. But we have refused to do so," he said in the opening address of the 20th Arab Summit in Damascus.
Bashar insisted that the solution to the political crisis in Beirut is in the hands of the Lebanese themselves.
"They [Lebanese] have their own country, their own institutions and their own constitution and they are capable of achieving a solution themselves," he said.
The comments came after Bashar assumed the chairmanship of the summit without the protocol handover from Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi, Egyptian and Jordanian leaders stayed away after Washington urged its allies to think twice before attending the summit of the 22-member Arab League, accusing Syria of blocking the election of a new president in Lebanon.
Among the absentees, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal yesterday called on Syria to make a "positive move" to help implement the Arab plan.
"We hope ... the [Arab] summit will come up with a solution to the Lebanese crisis in keeping with the Arab League's initiative ... especially since the summit is being held in Damascus, from whom we continue to await a positive move on the Lebanese scene to implement the initiative," he told reporters in Riyadh.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi delegation failed to endorse the final statement because it did not condemn terrorism in the war-torn country. Shiite Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi said Iraq had “reservations'' about the statement for failing to do so.
Sunday's statement was endorsed by the other 20 nations at the summit and noted Iraq's reservation.
