Dialogue with Syria Beneficial to Lebanon
Top U.S. envoy Jeffrey Feltman said Saturday steps to engage in dialogue with Syria while maintaining support for Lebanon were not two contradictory policies.
The acting secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs said that rapprochement with Syria can in fact "benefit efforts to protect Lebanon”s sovereignty."
Speaking to reporters, Feltman said a recent visit to Lebanon was aimed to "reassure" the Lebanese on Washington”s new approach to Syria. He stressed the need for upcoming legislative elections to take place "without (incidents of) intimidation or violence."
He said it was important that the Syrian leadership understand the U.S. position "on both the elections and Hizbullah, whose actions have jeopardized Lebanon during the July 2006 war and the August 2007" confrontations.
Feltman refused to comment on the British government”s decision to open low-level contact with Hizbullah saying only the U.S. view of the Lebanese party has not changed.