Washington Criticizes Salloukh
Washington has criticized Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh for allegedly leaking to the media details on the summit discussion between President George Bush and his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman at the White House.
A "responsible American source" told the daily An-Nahar his administration was "dismayed by Salloukh”s breach of diplomatic norms" by allegedly leaking headlines of the Bush-Suleiman discussion to the media.
Suleiman was quoted as advising Bush to avoid isolating Syria in his quest for Middle East peace.
"We”ve noticed that he (Salloukh) didn”t do the same after the Suleiman talks with Syrian officials," the U.S. source said, in an apparent reference to the recent talks between Suleiman and Syrian President Bashar Assad.
An-Nahar, in a Washington-datelined report, said the U.S. official was referring to "leaks posted by Naharnet."
"Such leaking (of information) is not proper and reflects lack of respect to the American side," the source said.
"It would be sad if Suleiman”s message to Bush is the same as Salloukh”s to the media," the U.S. official noted.