Feltman Meets Qabbani, Qabalan
Two U.S. envoys to the Middle East held talks Sunday with Lebanon”s Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani and the country”s highest Shiite authority Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan in Beirut.
Jeffrey Feltman and fellow envoy Daniel Shapiro arrived in Beirut after a trip to Damascus on Saturday for the first high-level contacts in four years, after talks on Friday with leaders in neighboring Lebanon.
Qabalan welcomed the U.S. administration”s steps to open dialogue with Syria. He said that peace and stability in the Middle East can be achieved through "non-stop talks between the United States and both Iran and Syria."
Qabalan called on the U.S. administration to maintain contacts with Speaker Nabih Berri and to "open communication channels with Hizbullah and Hamas."
He also said that Israel must be pressured into withdrawing from the Shebaa Farms and the Syrian Golan Heights.
For his part, Qabbani stressed the need "for a collective effort in Lebanon to help maintain stability and avoid being driven to civil strife."
"We want a safe and stable Lebanon… for the sake of Lebanon”s people and the good of the Arab world," he said.
"We are careful not to allow Lebanon to be dragged into regional conflicts that can only bring harm to all."