http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1105/279877.htmlAnnan: Arab Leaders Worried Over Syria
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Arab leaders are worried Syria could become the next Iraq, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on his return from a visit to the Middle East. Annan said the issue of Syrian cooperation with an investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri came up in every capital he visited.
"They're all concerned and anxious to see Syria cooperate and to see the issue settled diplomatically and not lead to a situation that destabilizes possibly Syria and Lebanon," he said Monday. "They're worried if we are leading to another Iraq situation."
Last month a U.N. interim report implicated Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services in the Feb. 14 assassination and said Syria was not fully cooperating with the U.N. investigation of the killing. The U.N. Security Council warned Syria of possible "further action" if it does not do its part in the probe, which has been extended until Dec. 15.
Syria has objected to a request from chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to interview six top Syrian officials about the assassination in Beirut. Syria's U.N. Ambassador Fayssal Mekdad said Monday that Lebanon "creates problems, sensitivities and other issues."