Bush: We have been in touch with Syria over the Lebanon crisis but their response was not positive at all

Bush: We have been in touch with Syria over the Lebanon crisis but their response was not positive at all

August 7, 2006, 5:37 PM (GMT+02:00)

The US president said this in a special Middle East statement Monday, Aug. 7. “In terms of Iran, we made it clear that if they were to honor previous obligations and verify uranium enrichment, they have a seat at the table.” The US is working with allies to bring pressure on those two governments. The choice is theirs. But they sponsor Hizballah and therefore act to create chaos and obstruct democracy. The first UN resolution draft aims at a cessation of violence, the second to address the root cause of the crisis which is a state operating within a state. The Hizballah is an armed movement which provoked the crisis. We can’t have a vacuum. Our intent is to strengthen the Lebanese government, to extend its sovereignty to the whole country and with the help of an international force make sure there are no armed groups in the south.