Washington has formally told Beirut government that Lebanon and Syria "must" discontinue their support of Hizbullah, but President Lahoud and Premier Hariri were instantly defiant.
The US demand was conveyed by Ambassador Vincent Battle to Hariri at an hour-long meeting held Thursday, An Nahar reported on Friday.
The U.S. also urged Beirut to deploy the Lebanese army along the border with Israel to end Hizbullah's effective control of the border area with the Jewish state.
Battle reiterated Secretary of State Colin Powell's concept that a new dynamic strategy initiated by the U.S. in the Middle East dictates on both Lebanon and Syria to stop supporting Hizbullah, "which is a foreign terrorist group openly preaching suicide bombings against civilians."
Battle held Hizbullah "exclusively" responsible for the latest outbreak of hostilities on the border with Israel, contending that Israel's bulldozer that was hit by a Hizbullah missile was removing Hizbullah-planted roadside bombs.
Hariri rejected the U.S. contention, saying Israel was to blame for the violence because its bulldozer was operating on Lebanese soil in blatant violation of the nation's sovereignty.
President Lahoud, for his turn, said Lebanon rejected the creation of a new Israeli fait accompli that allows the Jewish state to violate Lebanon's sovereignty without punishment. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
