Spanish foreign minister meets with Sleiman, mulls Syrian file

       
Spain's foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia kicked off on Wednesday his official visit to Lebanon with a meeting with President Michel Sleiman whereby both officials tackled the situation in the Middle East, mainly the file of the displaced Syrians in Lebanon and bilateral relations.        

In this regard, Sleiman reiterated his call for holding an international conference in a bid to discuss the issue pertaining to the distribution of the refugees fleeing Syria to neighboring countries.       

The meeting also discussed the situation in the South, UN resolution 1701 as well as the work of the international forces in Southern Lebanon, mainly the Spanish brigade.      

The Spanish foreign minister also met with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain El-Tineh with talks featuring high on bilateral relations.       

On another note, Garcia held a meeting with Caretaker Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour at the Foreign Ministry whereby he mulled the means to sowing seeds of stability and security in the region, pointing out that he agrees with Mansour on many issues pertaining to the Syrian file.        

In the details, Garcia and Mansour voiced their concern over the schism that may occur within the Syrian opposition, noting that the solution for the Syrian crisis can only be reached by holding negotiations between the Syrian regime and the opposition since “the military settlement will not pay off.”         

“The Syrian regime is still backed by a strong Syrian army, a segment of the people and Russian political support,” Garcia added.         

In this context, Spain’s foreign minister said that “his country did not decide yet whether it would arm the Syrian opposition”, noting that it will take a decision in this regard upon the results of Garcia’s visit to the region.