Sleiman urges Obama to halt Israel”s violations in Lebanon
US president presses counterpart on arms smuggling
US President Barack Obama on Monday raised concerns about arms smuggled into Lebanon that could threaten Israel, as he welcomed Lebanese President Michel Sleiman to the Oval Office. Obama told reporters after the talks that Lebanon was a “critical country, in a critical region,” and praised Sleiman for managing the swift-moving political currents threatening stability in his country.
“We want to do everything we can to encourage a strong, independent and democratic Lebanon,” Obama said.
For his part, Sleiman said he tackled with Obama the repeated Israeli violations of Lebanese territories and called on the US to pressure Israel into the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and acknowledging the Palestinian refugees right of return.
Sleiman also called for an increase in military aid to enable Lebanon to face terrorism and defend itself.
The Lebanese president urged Obama to politically support Lebanon and ensure that peace solutions do not come at the expense of the Lebanese.
Signs of disagreement emerged when Sleiman said he had brought up Israel with Obama. “We also discussed the Israeli threats against Lebanon which are taking place and place obstacles to the economic growth of the country,” Sleiman said.
“We asked President Obama and the US to exert further pressure on Israel to implement Resolution 1701,” Sleiman said.
Obama later made clear there were some issues on which he and Sleiman would not agree, including Israel, and noted they had discussed the so far partial implementation of the UN resolution on ending the 2006 war in Lebanon.
“I want to be clear, I emphasized to him our concerns about the extensive arms that are smuggled into Lebanon that potentially serve as a threat to Israel,” he said.
“President Sleiman and I are not going to agree on every issue with respect to … Israel, Lebanon, the Palestinians and Syria,” he added.
“What we do agree on is we can resolve these issues through dialogue and negotiations, rather than through violence.”
Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu last week denounced Resolution 1701, saying it had proven to be a failure.
The resolution ended Israel’s 2006 war on Lebanon. The war killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. The resolution has not led to a permanent ceasefire.
It bans supplying arms to Lebanese militias while affirming the Beirut government’s sovereignty over the entire country.
Earlier on Monday, Sleiman met with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as well as Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, during which they stressed the necessity of cooperation between the two countries with regards to the US providing aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces and other security services.
Regarding resolution 1559, Minister of State Adnan Assayed Hussein, who accompanied Sleiman to the US, said it was fully implemented with one remaining point concerning the weapons of the resistance. The minister said the issue would be discussed during national dialogue sessions.
“Hizbullah is classified as a resistance as indicated in all ministerial statements contrary to the classification of resolution 1559,” Hussein said.
Separately, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Monday that ongoing pressure from the US Congress to surrender the resistance’s weapons and prevent the Lebanese Army’s armament coinciding with Sleiman’s visit to the US would fail since the resistance would remain a need as long as the Israeli occupation to Lebanese territories as well as threats and violations to the country’s sovereignty persisted.
“We bet on forcing Israel to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and 425,” he said, adding that “We say with all pride that we are not incapable of forcing the implementation of 425 through resistance.”