THE JERUSALEM POST: Syrian PM says if future conflict erupts it will affect "the region and beyond."
Syrian Prime Minister Naji al-Otari on Saturday warned Israel that any new Mideast war would be catastrophic for the region and beyond.
Speaking to reporters Saturday after meeting with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, he said that a new war will have dangerous repercussions not only in the Middle East but also on the international level.
Syria's foreign minister warned Israel earlier this month that any new war would reach Israeli cities, to which Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman responded that the Syrian army would be defeated and its regime would collapse in any future conflict.
Otari's statements to his French counterpart on Saturday come after several weeks of quiet in the Israeli-Syrian war of words.
The United States, meanwhile, has appointed a new ambassador to Syria after the previous administration led by George W. Bush withdrew its ambassador in 2005.
It also withdrew travel warnings saying that American citizens would face security risks if they traveled to Syria.
The US did not, however, remove Syria from its list of states sponsoring terrorism. >>> JPost Staff and AP | Sunday, February 21, 2010
