Lebanon resolved not to take sides in Syria: PM

AFP , Monday 5 Nov 2012

Lebanese premier Najib Mikati affirms Lebanon will not 'interfere in Syria's internal affairs' during visit to Bulgaria

Lebanon
Lebanese anti-government protesters hold up their placards as they shout slogans, during a demonstration demanding the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday Oct. 28, 2012 (Photo: AP)

Lebanon will not take sides in the deadly conflict in neighbouring Syria, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Monday during a visit to Bulgaria.

"Lebanon is firmly resolved not to take anyone's side in Syria. This has to do with our own stability and security so Lebanon is not in any way interfering in Syria's internal affairs," Mikati told a news conference with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

"We hope that the international community will understand Lebanon's position in this extremely difficult and delicate moment."

Mikati's cabinet -- dominated by powerful Syrian ally Hezbollah -- has already come under fire from the opposition, which accuses it of complicity with the regime of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has pressed it to resign.

Calls for Mikati to quit were also spurred by a massive car bombing in central Beirut on October 19 that killed three people including a top security official, in an attack the opposition blamed on Syria and its allies in Lebanon.

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