UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has ignored U.S. objections to the delay in the UN report regarding the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon by one week, repeating that it is yet to be completed. France and Britain have also opposed the delay, which had been requested by Syrian President Bashar Assad in a telephone call to Annan.State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said late Wednesday the United Sates was disappointed by the delay. "But we also want to keep the focus on what's important here. And what's important is that we work together to achieve the withdrawal of all the Syrian troops and to have elections in Lebanon," Ereli told reporters.
"The three (U.S., France and Britain) don't want any backslidings and pushed Annan for the report's immediate release," said a Western envoy, who spoke on condition of anonymity. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and French President Jacques Chirac urged Annan on Monday not to delay the report, the diplomat said. The Syrian President had sought a significantly longer delay to allow the U.N. technical team to properly verify the withdrawal, U.N. officials said. The report was due to be released Tuesday, but Annan said it was not complete and probably wouldn't be issued until April 26 as there was a need to wait for further developments in Lebanon and Syria.