Syria's Assad threatens UN he will set the region on fire
Sunday, 13 May, 2007 @ 5:37 PM
Beirut & Damascus - Syrian President Bashar Assad has threatened to set the region on fire, from the Caspian to the Mediterranean, over differences with the United Nations regarding Lebanon's stability.
The independent daily newspaper an-Nahar quoted well informed diplomatic circles as saying Assad made the threat last Wednesday in a telephone discussion with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
The sources, according to the paper spoke of a "heated dialogue" between Assad and Ban, during which the Syrian President "threatened to set the region on fire, from the Caspian to the Mediterranean."
The focus of the telephone discussion was creation of the international tribunal that will try suspects in the 2005 assassination of Lebanese ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes, the report explained.
It stressed that the tribunal issue will be a topic of discussion within the U.N. Security Council as of Monday.
Following the tense discussion with Ban, Assad on Thursday announced that his country is not concerned with the international tribunal, stating that the court is "a special topic concerning Lebanon and the United Nations."
Lebanese MP Saad Hariri son of the slain premier, had announced that the tribunal will be created under chapter seven of the U.N. Charter.
Hariri and factions of the March 14 majority alliance blame the ex-premier's killing and related crimes on Syria. Damascus denies the charge.
Syria's Assad threatens UN he will set the region on fire
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