Syrian Memo Urges Lebanon to Control Borders

Local Editor

Damascus on Thursday called on the Lebanese army to "control the border to preserve security and stability," in the wake of Wednesday's Syrian air raid on the Bekaa border town of Arsal.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said he received a memo from Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem about the situation on the border between the two countries.

Moallem cited the security agreements signed between Lebanon and Syria and underlined Damascus' "keenness on Lebanon's security," Mansour said.
The Syrian minister "stressed the importance that the Lebanese army control the border to preserve security and stability."

He further urged the Lebanese authorities to "take the necessary measures that strengthen the joint efforts between the two brotherly countries and peoples, in the framework of mutual keenness on respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two states."

The Syrian memo comes after a Syrian helicopter targeted terrorists near Arsal town.

The Syrian army said it will continue to target rebels across Syrian territory, but that it is "committed to respecting the sovereignty of the Lebanese republic, its territorial integrity and the safety of its people."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team