Syrian President Bashar al-Assad yesterday promised at an Arab summit in Damascus to help resolve a political crisis in Lebanon, which boycotted the meeting, along with top figures from other Arab countries.
Eleven heads of state from the Arab League's 22 members were present at the opening, less than normal for the two-day annual event, reflecting suspicions that Syria has blocked the election of a new Lebanese president.
Along with Lebanon, three key US allies -- King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and King Abdullah of Jordan -- stayed away from the summit, reducing the chances that it would break new ground on Lebanon and other conflicts.
The conflict over Lebanon reflects the wider struggle for regional influence between the US and Syria's ally Iran.
LEBANON REACTS
Assad dismissed the accusation that his country was behind the deadlock in Lebanon, which has not had a president since last November because the government and the Syrian-backed opposition have been unable to agree on a new Cabinet.
"We in Syria are fully prepared to cooperate with Arab or non-Arab efforts ... on condition that they are based on Lebanese national consensus, the basis for stability in Lebanon," Assad said in his opening speech as summit host.
He rejected criticism that Syria was meddling in Lebanon, saying: "On the contrary, the pressures which have been put on Syria for more than a year, and increasingly for the last several months, have been to have Syria intervene in Lebanese internal affairs."
"The key to a solution is in the hands of the Lebanese themselves. They have their homeland, their institutions and Constitution and they have the necessary awareness," he said.
In an uncharacteristically short speech devoid of provocative or confrontational language, Assad did not mention the absence of Lebanon or the low level of representation by the Arab governments allied to the Lebanese government and friendly to Washington.
Syria says the US campaigned to dissuade Arab leaders from attending.
SAUDI STATEMENT
In Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal urged Syria yesterday to make a "positive move" to help implement an Arab plan leading to the election of a president in Lebanon.
"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.
A positive Syrian step would "complement the intense efforts exerted by Saudi Arabia and a number of Arab countries" to break the deadlock in Lebanon, Saud said at a news conference aired on Saudi-owned television channels.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS