Washington Unhappy About Britain”s Contacts with Hizbullah
The U.S. State Department announced that it does not back Britain”s moves to engage in dialogue with Hizbullah, stressing that it won”t deal with any member of the Shiite group unless the party "surrenders its weapons and rejects violence."
"The United States and Britain are strong allies that work together closely against terrorism," Ann Somerset, the spokeswoman for the State Department”s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs told Kuwait”s Al-Rai daily.
"We are aware of the problem that Hizbullah presents in Lebanon and the region, (but) Britain decided to adopt a different approach," Somerset said in remarks published Wednesday.
Several local and foreign newspapers said earlier in the week that the new U.S. administration under President Barack Obama is "comfortable" with the British government”s attempts to engage Hizbullah in negotiations.
The newspapers reported that Bill Rammell, Britain”s Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, said in Damascus last week that despite protests to the contrary, the Obama administration does not object to the fledgling contacts with the political wing of Hizbullah.
Somerset, however, denied such reports saying "we told officials from Britain that our policy towards Hizbullah remains as it is and we don”t back any policy that adopts dialogue with Hizbullah."
Al-Rai said U.S. authorities have summoned the British ambassador to express discontent about London”s decision to engage in direct contacts with Hizbullah”s political wing.
Washington "does not differentiate between the political, military or terrorist wing of Hizbullah," the U.S. official stressed.
Hizbullah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan visited Britain last week in response to an invitation by members of the House of Commons.