Transcript of Remarks and Replies to Media Questions by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov Following Talks with Walid Joumblatt, Chairman of the Progressive Socialist Party and a Member of the Parliament of Lebanon, Moscow, March 11, 2005

Unofficial translation from Russian

PRESS RELEASE

Foreign Minister Lavrov: We have held a conversation with Chairman of the Progressive Socialist Party and Member of Parliament Walid Joumblatt and discussed the situation in Lebanon and around Syria, affirming the need for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559.

We examined the latest developments, including the decision announced by the leadership of Syria on the pullback of a part of the Syrian troops from Lebanon and the redeployment of the remaining units to the Bekaa Valley. We presume that the withdrawal will concern security service agents too and we agree that it has to be carried out stage by stage and so as not to destabilize the very fragile, especially in ethnoconfessional terms, situation in Lebanon. This is particularly important in light of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Lebanon, which we hope will be held without outside interference, in a democratic vein and will enable the Lebanese people to express their will freely. Syria and Lebanon are neighbors. They must live in friendship and tranquility, sure of their security. This will be a very important element of regional stability.

Russia, as a friend of Lebanon and Syria, is interested in this and is actively facilitating a normal settlement of the present crisis. We do not consider it justified to whip up artificial tension around these questions and to tackle tasks that are not related to settlement in Lebanon.

I have the impression that Chairman of the Progressive Socialist Party and Member of Parliament Walid Joumblatt shares these assessments.

Question: How do you regard the role of Hezbollah in stabilizing the situation in Lebanon? In what way can Russia help Lebanon in this situation?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: It is necessary to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1559 in all its aspects. Like all the other decisions on the Middle East, they cannot be implemented just by one half or one third. This concerns matters related to Hezbollah and the Palestinians.

As to the role of Hezbollah, I think that it is in the interest of Lebanon and the entire Middle East that the political role of Hezbollah should be taken into consideration and that the party receive a possibility to represent its interests through the elections for the power structures to be formed in Lebanon.

Russia can help by being in contact with the Lebanese friends and the Syrian friends, the US, the Europeans, and the countries of the region and by advocating a well-balanced, comprehensive and just implementation of UNSCR 1559 and that in its implementation no one would pursue aims which do not relate to it.

Question: Yesterday the parliament of Georgia declared in a toughly worded statement that unless the question of withdrawal of the Russian bases from that country is solved before May 15, they will be outlawed. How will you comment upon this? Could you remind us of Russia's negotiating stance, in particular as regards a time frame, the size of compensation and so on?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: We are maintaining our contacts with executive authority in Georgia. I was recently in Tbilisi, where we at the meetings with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili agreed to use the next two months to endeavor to intensify the negotiating process on most aspects of the lingering problems in our relations, including the question of the duration and modalities of the functioning of the Russian bases in Georgia. This accord remains valid. The executive authority of Georgia did not back the intention of the Georgian parliament to take any decisions on the bases until the talks have been held within the next two months. Our plans remain in force in full measure. We shall be resuming those talks with our Georgian colleagues soon.

As to our negotiating stand, the talks are being conducted between the two sides. The questions related to the duration, the modalities of the functioning of the military bases and, I don't know, why you said compensation - evidently you meant the financial aspect of the matter, because the withdrawal entails certain expenditures of course - will be discussed. Let me recall in connection with the financial side of the matter that, when the agreement between Russia and Georgia was being reached in Istanbul on the search of a solution on these issues, there was mentioned there the preparedness of a number of OSCE member countries to render financial assistance to this process. We shall be speaking on this theme as well.

Question: How do you feel about the idea which Chairman of the Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party and Member of Parliament Walid Joumblatt presented in connection with an international investigation of the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri? Is Russia prepared to participate in this?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: We feel that it is necessary to concentrate now on enabling the fact-finding mission to do its job in Lebanon that has been sent there under the auspices of the United Nations. The Lebanese authorities should fully cooperate with it. Of course, Lebanon also has a right and is duty-bound to carry out its own investigation. We hope that together these two processes will help to come nearer to clarifying the situation. The establishment of the facts is the most important thing to date. Of course, any investigation must be transparent by all means.