Clinton vows peace deal won”t come at Lebanon”s expense
Sleiman urges support for Lebanese army
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed on Tuesday that any resolution in the Middle East will not come at the expense of the Lebanese. During a meeting with President Michel Sleiman, Clinton highlighted her country’s commitment to securing Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability. Sleiman heard similar remarks from Vice President Joe Biden, who he met on Monday.
Biden’s office issued a statement underscoring the US support for Lebanese institutions, including the post of the presidency. He also stressed the need for a capable Lebanese Army to preserve stability.
As Sleiman held talks in the US, Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrived in Copenhagen on Tuesday to participate in the UN climate summit, where he is scheduled to hold talks with several states on the sidelines of the gathering.
Sleiman called on top American officials for the second consecutive day Tuesday to provide military aid to the Lebanese Army and pressure Israel into abiding by international resolutions.
Sleiman, who is scheduled to return to Beirut on Wednesday, called on the US to support the Lebanese Army with advanced weapons and technology to enable it to defend its territories against any foreign aggressions as well as fight terrorism.
“The force of Lebanon is in its army’s unity and ability to defend its territories against any dangers threatening the country’s stability,” Sleiman told a delegation of Lebanese expatriates in Washington.
On Tuesday, Sleiman also held talks with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
Sleiman said the experience in the past period proved that even in the case of a political crisis, democracy in Lebanon would remain unaffected.
“The practice of democracy in Lebanon is sane and the country has regained its strength including stability on security, political and economic levels,” Sleiman said.
He also stressed Lebanon’s commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative, which offers a comprehensive peace solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict based on an Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories since June 1967 and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Sleiman added that he informed the US administration of Lebanon’s rejection of the naturalization of the Palestinian refugees and its insistence on their right of return.
Tackling the need for securing resources to promote social and economic development, Sleiman urged the US to provide economic support along with military aid.
Sleiman also praised Lebanon’s establishment of diplomatic relations with Syria while Clinton emphasized that any dialogue with Syria would not be at the expense of the Lebanese.
Separately, Secretary of State Assistant for Middle Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said the long period that was needed to form a new Cabinet helped the Lebanese better understand each other as indicated in the ministerial statement.
He added that any dialogue with Syria will not come at Lebanon’s expense.
In remarks published by Saudi daily Al-Hayat, Feltman added that the time was right for the Lebanese to get united behind a national domestic agenda “regardless of what the Americans, Saudi and Syrians think.”
In other news, Premier Hariri is scheduled to address the assembly of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on Wednesday. Heading a Lebanese delegation including Finance Minister Rayya Haffar, Energy and Water Resources Minister Jebran Bassil and Environment Minister Mohammad Rahhal, Hariri is also expected to meet United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon. Hariri is also expected to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Ban said he would meet with Hariri in Copenhagen and voiced hope for a quick solution to the occupied border village of Ghajar. “I am going to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Copenhagen and we will discuss all the matters pertaining to peace and stability in Lebanon and beyond,” Ban told a press conference in New York Monday.
Asked about Ghajar, Ban said: “There had been discussions between the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and my special representative on one side and Israeli authorities on the other. I sincerely hope we will be able to have an early agreement.”
Israel took over Ghajar in 1967 when it occupied the Syrian Golan Heights. Its soldiers withdrew when it pulled out of south Lebanon in 2000, but reoccupied the northern part of the village in July 2006. The village still straddles the Blue Line which, when demarcated in 2000, placed the northern sector in Lebanese territory. The UN demands that Israel hand back the village’s northern sector, in accordance with Security Council resolutions.
UNIFIL has put forward a proposal which would see Israeli troops withdraw to south of the Blue Line and be replaced by international peacekeepers.
“I am not in a position to tell you exactly where we stand. But negotiations and discussions have been actively going on in this matter,” the UN chief told reporters.