32. Mrs. RenéeShort asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Minister of State discussed with the Syrian Foreign Minister the early withdrawal of Syrian forces from the Lebanon during their recent meeting.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweThe withdrawal from Lebanon of all foreign forces was one of the subjects discussed by both myself and my hon. Friend the Member for Shoreham (Mr. Luce) during our recent visits to Damascus, we shall continue to press all parties, includng the Syrian Government, to work constructively to make such a withdrawal possible. It is important that the Israel-Lebanon agreement of 17 May 1983 should not be allowed to become an obstacle to progress on this important issue.