U.S. for Lebanese Government that has Moderate Views
The United States has stressed on free elections in Lebanon and reiterated its backing for a moderate government in the aftermath of the parliamentary elections.
"We obviously want to see free elections," State Department assistant spokesman Robert Wood said Monday.
"We”re going to support the Lebanese government. We certainly want to see … a government that has moderate views in place," he stressed in response to a question on contingency plans in case Hizbullah becomes the majority in parliament.
Wood reiterated that the Obama administration is against interference in Lebanon”s internal affairs and said the June 7 elections should be held in a democratic manner.
"What”s important here is that there not be interference in Lebanese internal affairs. We want to make sure that everyone supports a free election in Lebanon and, as an overall goal, a free, democratic, prosperous Lebanon," he said.
"We”ll just have to see what happens after the election," Wood told reporters.
He said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "was very clear in terms of where we stand with regard to Lebanon and the upcoming election."
Wood also called on Iran to encourage Islamic militants to accept Israel”s existence, after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tehran could accept a two-state solution.
Ahmadinejad, in an interview with the U.S. network ABC broadcast on Sunday, said it would be "fine with us" if the Palestinians reached a two-state solution that accepts Israel.
Wood said the U.S. wanted Iran to "play a positive role in the region, which up until now it hasn”t."
"If Iran wants to show goodwill, it should encourage those forces that it supports that are opposed to a two-state solution to cease their opposition and work constructively toward helping us reach that two-state solution," he said.