Christians Under Attack

Lebanese delegation yesterday presented a list of Lebanese citizens who have 'disappeared' in Syrian prisons. According to the association of relatives of Lebanese prisoners in Syria (Solide), there are around 600 "desaparecidos". The Syrian delegation from its side asked about the around 200 Syrians "disappeared in Lebanon in 2005", the year in which the relation between the two countries got worse due to the murder in Beirut of the former premier of Lebanon, Rafik Hariri. Damascus has always denied its involvement in the crime, but two months after the attack Syrian troops were forced to withdraw from Lebanon after 29 years of political-military protection. The dossier of "disappeared" prisoners is one of the main reasons keeping the two countries from normalising their relations. In October last year Syria and Lebanon announced, for the first time since their creation as independent states in the '40s, the start of formal diplomatic relations. (ANSAmed).