Lebanon FM rejects calls for his dismissal

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour attacked the Future Movement for requesting his removal from the cabinet, saying this is not the first time they make such a request adding” Syria is a friend and I refuse to label it as an enemy”

“I will not accept to label Syria as an enemy as the Future Movement wants, because it is a friend ,” Mansour told Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television on Tuesday, despite the fact that the Future Movement never said that Syria should be classified as an enemy.

Mansour underscored that he will maintain a positive relationship with the Syrian regime.

This comes after the Future Movement called on Tuesday in their weekly statement for the dismissal of the Lebanese foreign minister, after claiming that he had “ignored” the president and the premier’s calls to urge that the Syrian regime “refrain from opening fire and launching shells toward Lebanese territory.”

“Violating Lebanese sovereignty and attacking border villages and citizens are not acceptable,” Future Movement lawmakers stated in the statement after their weekly meeting at the Center House, stressing that Mansour should be dismissed from the cabinet after the “shameful comments” of the Syrian envoy.

“We call on President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the Army command to react to Ali’s comments”.

The statement added

Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali denied after meeting with Mansour that he was summoned by the ministry.

Ali had on Saturday dismissed the stance of the president and premier and said that the Syrian Army is responding to the sources of fire along the Lebanese border to preserve the country’s stability.

“The Syrian territories are attacked by gunmen, from various nationalities, who are entering Lebanon and violating the sovereignty of Lebanon and Syria,” he said after talks with FM Mansour at the ministry last saturday.

The current cabinet is dominated by Hezbollah which has been supporting the Syrian regime in its crackdown against the uprising . Mikati according to observers cannot fire Mansour for disobedience because he is a member of the Amal party which is headed by Speaker Nabih Berri a key ally of Hezbollah.

Mansour has been accused on several occasions by the opposition of acting on orders from the Syrian regime of president Bashar al Assad.