Kahwaji: Syria Ready to Support Army Unconditionally

 
Source: Al-Akhbar TV, 05-12-2008
"Syria is ready to support the Lebanese Army unconditionally," Lebanese Army Commander Jean Kahwaji declared a few days following a fruitful visit to the Syrian capital where he met top officials.
Just after Kahwaji returned from Lebanon, he was subject to vehement assaults by the March 14 bloc.
According to Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, Kahwaji didn't find a justification for the assault. "It is an attempt to politicize the visit and take far beyond its goals," Kahwaji was quoted as saying, adding that he did not know a reason for assailing the army for merely political aims.
The Lebanese Army commander quoted Syrian President Bashaar Assad, Defense Minister Hassan Turkmani as well as his Syrian counterpart Ali Habib as stressing that the Syrian view towards Lebanon has changed. "They asserted that Syria would not return to Lebanon whatever were the circumstances," he said.
Kahwaji reportedly said that he didn't go to Syria with specific demands. "However, the Syrians told me they were ready to give the army any support it needs with no conditions," he said, recalling that Syria has effectively helped the Lebanese Army in previous times, especially during the Nahr al-Bared confrontation against the Fatah al-Islam group.