Syria, Lebanon Say They’ll Boycott Talks
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DAMASCUS, Syria — Lebanon and Syria said Saturday that they will boycott Middle East talks in Moscow, with Syria accusing Israel of intransigence and of refusing to withdraw from occupied Arab land.
President Hafez Assad, quoted by his spokesman, told Egyptian Foreign Minister Amir Moussa that Syria stood by its policy on the talks, set for Jan. 28-29.
“President Assad pointed (out) during the meeting that Israel was now resisting peace more than any time before,” spokesman Joubran Kourieh told reporters.
Following Syria’s announcement, Lebanese Foreign Minister Faris Bouez told the Voice of Lebanon radio station that his country also would not attend the talks.
The two countries have been meeting Israel in bilateral talks as part of the U.S.-brokered Middle East peace process launched last October at a conference in Madrid.
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