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Rice in Beirut to meet with new Lebanon leaders
2008-06-16
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice put a U.S. stamp of approval Monday on a fragile new government in Lebanon that increased the power of Hezbollah militants. Rice made an unannounced visit to Lebanon's capital to meet with Western-backed leaders of the emerging coalition government. The U.S. regards Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah as a terrorist group and has no dealings with it. "Congratulations," Rice said as she shook hands with Michel Suleiman, the army chief elected last month to lead the government. "We are all just very supportive of your presidency and your government." She introduced members of the U.S. delegation to him as they sat down for their meeting at the presidential palace. On the flight from Israel, Rice told reporters her message would be one of U.S. support for Lebanese democracy and that they would discuss "how the United States can support the institutions of a free Lebanon." Hezbollah, which is both a militia and a political power, gained veto power over the Beirut government in a compromise brokered last month. The deal ended 18 months of political paralysis, and followed bloody street clashes. The U.S. would have preferred that Hezbollah not gain greater power, but has called the deal a necessary step for stability. The breakthrough, reached with the help of Arab mediators, allowed Lebanon's parliament to elect a new president. Suleiman's election brought palpable relief to Lebanese who feared their country was in danger of another civil war. Is also ushered in a shift in the balance of power in favor of Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Rice is the first high-level U.S. official to visit since the power sharing agreement was reached. She was meeting Suleiman for the first time. Following their meeting, Rice said, "It was really delightful to meet the president. I know it has been a struggle for Lebanon to get to the election of its president. But I come away knowing that Lebanon has succeeded in electing a very fine man. We look forward to working with him." Still, Hezbollah's ascendancy is a setback for the U.S., which had strongly backed the Lebanese government for three years and is concerned that Iran's influence is spreading in the Middle East. Nevertheless, the U.S. welcomed the developments in Lebanon and its diplomats and visiting congressmen attended Suleiman's election. Asked by reporters why the power-sharing agreement was not a defeat for the United States, Rice said that while it's true that Hezbollah has gained political clout, it is also true that democratic figures endured. "Obviously in any compromise there are compromises," she said. "But this was an agreement that I think served the interests of the Lebanese people. And since it served the interests of the Lebanese people, it serves the interests of the United States. We support the democratically elected government of Lebanon," she said. "That's who we support." The U.S. government has labeled Hezbollah a terrorist organization and blames it for the deaths of 241 U.S. Marines in the bombing of their Beirut barracks in 1983, as well as for two attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and the 1985 TWA hijacking that killed an American serviceman on board. Hezbollah repeatedly has denied such accusations and says it now opposes terrorism. Hezbollah and its allies fought a monthlong war with Israel in the summer of 2006 that ended in a stalemate. Political bickering prevented parliament from electing a president 19 times, leaving the country without a president since Emile Lahoud left office in November. Suleiman's election is the first tangible step in the deal to end the political crisis which erupted in May into the worst violence since Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war. The agreement was a victory for Hezbollah and its allies, who got their long-standing demand for veto power over government decisions. The Shiite militant group won that concession after it demonstrated its military power last month. Gunmen overran large parts of Muslim west Beirut after the government tried to rein Hezbollah in. The show of force left 67 people dead and gave Hezbollah new political leverage. The United States claims it also has provoked a backlash against Hezbollah among many Lebanese who cannot stomach the group's use of force against fellow Lebanese.
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