Rice: “Election Should Go on Without Delay”

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said she discussed the presidential crisis in Lebanon with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the sidelines of a donors” conference for the Palestinians in Paris.

 

“We”ve had a discussion of the Middle East, in particular the situation in Lebanon and the desire that the Lebanese people will be allowed to have their election so that they can elect a president. They appear to have a consensus candidate. That election should go on without delay,” she told reporters Monday.

 

Asked by An Nahar daily”s correspondent for more details about her talks with Sarkozy, Rice said: “The United

 

States and France have been very active together in trying to make very clear that the Lebanese people, and particularly the democratically elected representatives of Lebanon, should be supported, not thwarted, not stopped in their efforts to move forward to the election of a president.”

 

Her comments came the same day the presidential election was postponed for a ninth time to December 22.

She described the string of assassinations that have shaken Lebanon since 2004, including the killing last week of Brig. Gen. Francois el-Hajj, as “efforts to intimidate the Lebanese people.”

 

“There needs to be a constructive attitude by all of Lebanon”s neighbors, including Syria,” Rice said.