(8 Mar 2005)
1. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and Lebanese Druse leader Walid Jumblatt entering press conference at Foreign Office
2. SOUNDBITE: (German) Joschka Fischer, German Foreign Minister:
"We welcome the initiative, created by the Lebanese civilians themselves, to continue the process of democratisation in Lebanon and to achieve the retreat of Syrian troops from Lebanon. Therefore we agree with our most important partners to lend our support in order to realise UN resolution 1559."
3. Cameraman
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Walid Jumblatt, leader of Lebanese opposition Druse party:
"Well I do thank minister Fischer for this opportunity to clarify my position about Lebanon. We want an independent Lebanon, a democratic Lebanon with a good relationship with Syria. We want of course to know who killed Prime Minister Hariri and we want also a slow process and clear-cut timetable about the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. As explained to minister Fischer, we can''t afford not to have a dialogue with Hezbollah. It''s necessary to have a dialogue with Hezbollah, and we wish they would join us, our ranks in building up the independence of Lebanon, a democratic Lebanon. Today they have a peaceful demonstration under the Lebanese flag, which is good. I hope they will join us for the future of Lebanon, independent Lebanon. As for the Middle East, I hope the efforts of the international community will work to have a viable Palestinian state with the efforts of Abu Mazen and the Israeli government. And at the same time I came to Germany to pay a last farewell to a great friend of the Middle East, of the cause of the peace, Hans Juergen Wiecnjewski. Thank you again."
5. Camera
6. Fischer and Jumblatt shake hands and leave
STORYLINE:
Lebanese opposition leader Walid Jumblatt was in Berlin on Tuesday where he met German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
The meeting came the day after the presidents of Syria and Lebanon jointly announced a plan to withdraw Syrian troops after nearly three decades in Lebanon.
The plan set no deadline for the complete withdrawal of Syrian troops and intelligence agents from Lebanon, and Washington rejected the pullback as insufficient.
The plan also was unlikely to satisfy the Lebanese opposition and the rest of the international community, which have demanded that all 14,000 Syrian soldiers and an unknown number of intelligence agents leave the country.
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