Syria, Saudi buy time as Lebanon tensions rise — analysts ANALYSIS 08/02/2010

Syria, Saudi buy time as Lebanon tensions rise — analysts

ANALYSIS 08/02/2010 BEIRUT — A landmark visit by Syrian and Saudi leaders may have helped to ease tensions in Lebanon, but did little to address the crux of the problem in the long-run, analysts said. The Shiite militant group Hezbollah continues to warn against its implication in the 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, however, sparking fears of yet another conflict in the tiny Mediterranean country. “This is essentially a Saudi blessing for a return to Syrian domination of Lebanon,” said Beirut-based journalist Michael Young. “I think it will calm domestic tensions for a time,” Young told AFP. “But I also think that the Syrian objective is to build on this so that they can return to a situation that more or less existed before their withdrawal in 2005.” Assad and King Abdullah were in Lebanon on Friday for an hours-long visit, their first since 2002, which was swiftly followed by Qatar’s emir. Assad’s visit was particularly controversial as his country was widely accused of the bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others on Feb. 14, 2005 in Beirut. Damascus has consistently denied the accusations but nonetheless pulled its troops from Lebanon after the murder, following a 29-year presence..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100802com7.html

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