Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri said Tuesday that US President George W. Bush had assured him he would stay "engaged" in seeking Middle East peace albeit through "different methods" than his predecessor, reported AFP.
"The region is concerning everybody. We would like to see the United States play a more effective role to push forward the peace process," Hariri added in remarks to reporters as he emerged from a White House meeting with Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and other top US officials.
The US leader "made it very clear" that he had not disengaged from the Middle East peace process that his predecessor, Bill Clinton, was known for having made a personal priority.
"They will be engaged in a different way, using different methods, but they are for the peace and for the peace process," said Hariri, who emphasized that no other global actor could play as important a role as Washington.
"Peace in the region is the responsibility of the United States because it is the leader of the world," he said, cited by the agency.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush and Hariri had a "very constructive meeting, reflecting the close bilateral relationship that exists between our two countries."
"They discussed the prime minister's efforts to address Lebanon's economic situation. The president emphasized his support for the prime minister's reform efforts for an economically strong Lebanon," said Fleischer.
"They also agreed on the need for all parties in the region to avoid escalation of the violence and to work to end the violence and restore calm," the spokesman said.
Hariri is to meet separately Wednesday with Powell at the State Department and spokesman Philip Reeker said the secretary would continue the White House discussions then.
"We look forward to discussing further tomorrow ... the prime minister's efforts to address Lebanon's economic situation, the situation in the region as well, and of course, how to restore calm, and work toward a just and lasting comprehensive peace in the region," Reeker said.
As part of that conversation, Reeker said Powell would press Hariri on retaking full control over southern Lebanon in the wake of last year's withdrawal of Israel troops from the area, added the agency.
"We are going to continue discussion on how the Lebanese government can best fulfill its responsibility to reassert its authority over south Lebanon, and continue to deploy forces to border areas," he said.
Included in that would be a discussion of how best to achieve the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, Reeker added.
The US is Hariri’s second leg of tour that will also take him to Canada and France.
He will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on Thursday.
Hariri will then fly to Paris on May 1 to meet French President Jacques Chirac, before returning to Beirut on May 2, the paper said.
Sources said that Hariri will visit Damascus after his American-European tour, and meet with high-ranking officials there - Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
