DAMASCUS, Syria, May 24 (UPI) -- Damascus lacks the ability to transfer Scud missiles across the border to Hezbollah without detection, the Syrian foreign minister claimed.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem welcomed his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle to Damascus during the weekend.
Both sides discussed the Damascus relationship with the European Union, the ongoing row over the Iranian nuclear program and Middle East peace initiatives.
Syria is under fire for its alleged transfer of Scud missiles to Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. Israeli officials said there was evidence to suggest such a transfer took place, though U.N. peacekeepers couldn't verify the claims.
Moallem during talks with his German counterpart said it was nearly impossible to transfer a weapon like the Scud missile across the border because of its size, the official Syrian Arab News Agency reports.
"(T)his is why this missile cannot be smuggled or hidden at a time the Israeli warplanes and American and Israeli satellites are touring the region, in addition to the presence of German forces helping Lebanon observe the borders," he said.
He went on to question Israeli provocation along the southern Lebanon, asking, "why it is allowed for Israel and prohibited for the Arabs?"
Hezbollah under the terms of a cease-fire with Israel is required to disarm. Israel, for its part, is obliged to respect Lebanese sovereignty.
