Syria Said the Right Things Following Lebanese Polls
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said U.S. officials avoided making visits to Lebanon during the cabinet formation process in order not to give the impression that the Obama administration was interfering in Lebanon”s internal affairs.
However, Feltman told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in an interview published Saturday that he expected Lebanese and U.S. officials to exchange visits as soon as the new government gets the vote of confidence.
Feltman rejected claims that the U.S. wasn”t enthusiastic about the Syrian-Saudi rapprochement or the 15-10-5 Lebanese cabinet formula.
He said Syrian statements in the aftermath of Lebanese elections in June came in "conformity with international resolutions." He refused to make further comments out of respect for "protocol."
Asked if he believed that Syria played a role in ending the Lebanese cabinet crisis, Feltman said: "I believe that the government came as a result of Lebanese engineering."
He told al-Hayat that the U.S. wants to back Lebanon not only through bilateral ties but also through using its influence with regional and international partners so that Lebanon gets a strong support.
Feltman concluded by saying that the U.S. ambassador to Syria will arrive in Damascus "in the near future."