US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt lay blame on Hizbullah
Russian embassy strikes more balanced tone, urges restraint on all sides
The White House on Thursday demanded that Lebanon”s Hizbullah "stop their disruptive activities" as fierce gun battles raged in Beirut. "Hizbullah needs to make a choice: Be a terrorist organization or be a political party, but quit trying to be both. They need to stop their disruptive activities now," said US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
US President George W. Bush looks forward to discussing Lebanon”s political crisis when he meets with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora next week at Egypt”s Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, said Johndroe.
Bush leaves for the region on Tuesday, bound first for Israel”s 60th anniversary then Saudi Arabia to celebrate 75 years of US relations with the kingdom, before heading to Egypt.
The fighting in Beirut erupted after the opposition threw its weight behind a labor strike on Wednesday, erecting barricades across the capital. Fighting then broke out between government loyalists and opposition supporters which escalated on Thursday.
Responding to recent government moves against Hizbullah, its secretary general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said Thursday the actions were tantamount to a "declaration of war."
The UN Security Council on Thursday expressed support for the ruling coalition and appealed for calm and reopening the country”s roads.
"The members of the Security Council are deeply concerned about the current clashes and unrest in Lebanon, including the blocking of major roads and Beirut”s international airport," said John Sawers, Britain”s ambassador to the UN.
"They stress the need to uphold the security and sovereignty of Lebanon and express their support for the constitutional institutions of the country. They urge all sides to exercise calm and restraint and call for the immediate reopening of all roads," he added.
Members "firmly believe that the best way to defuse tensions and avoid further instability is to resolve the current political crisis," Sawers said.
The council urged all sides to use "peaceful dialogue," and "to work together to elect a new president in accordance with the Arab League plan."
Members "recalled that Lebanon”s long-term stability primarily relies on the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559 and all other relevant resolutions on Lebanon," he added.
Also on Thursday, Egypt has repeated its support for Lebanon”s Western-backed government and implicitly accused the country”s Hizbullah-led opposition of "pushing for confrontation," the press reported on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit telephoned Siniora late on Wednesday to voice Egypt”s support, several newspapers reported on Thursday.
"Egypt supports the Lebanese government, as a constitutional institution charged with looking after Lebanese affairs and with taking the necessary measures to prevent its power and credibility being damaged," he said.
Gheit also telephoned the leader of the Lebanese parliamentary majority, MP Saad Hariri, to stress "the need for restraint and to avoid confrontations of a sectarian nature.
"The party that is pushing for confrontation and which persists along this path with disregard for civil peace will surely bear the historic responsibility for its actions," the Egyptian official told Hariri.
Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa, who has already led several mediation missions to Beirut, said in a statement that he was in "permanent contact with different Lebanese parties and Arab countries in order to contain the escalation."
Echoing the Egyptian stance, Saudi Arabia warned Lebanon”s opposition on Thursday against an escalation of the situation, warning that conflict would only benefit "extremist external forces," in an apparent reference to Iran.
"The kingdom urges the groups behind the escalation to reconsider their position, and to realize that leading Lebanon toward turmoil will not bring victory to any party except extremist external forces," the state news agency SPA quoted an official as saying.
Russia, meanwhile, urged on Thursday various Lebanese groups to exercise self-control.
The Russian Embassy in Lebanon issued a statement on behalf of Foreign Minister Boris Malakhov underlining the need to stop the country from sliding into open confrontation.
The embassy called on all political forces in Lebanon to do their utmost in controlling their supporters.
"Protecting Lebanon”s sovereignty, political independence, peace and stability necessitates constructive efforts free of foreign intervention," the statement added.
The embassy concluded by saying that Russia would continue to aid multilateral intra-Lebanese talks, including talks in the Security Council.