Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the Increased Tensions between Israel and Syria/Lebanon

April 17, 2001

Deeply alarmed by the possibility that the current instability in the Middle East might enter into a new phase by spreading over to Syria and Lebanon, Japan expresses its strong concern over the bombing by the Israeli Air Force on Syrian military installations in the Lebanese territory on 16 April. In this context, Japan is deeply concerned with attacks perpetrated by Hezbollah across the line of withdrawal recognized by the United Nations.
Japan strongly requests all the parties concerned to exert maximum self-restraint in order to break the vicious circle of violence and to prevent it from further spreading in the region.

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