Head of the Future bloc in Parliament MP Saad Rafic Hariri discussed US support for Lebanon and the United Nations probe into the assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri with US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice in Washington, where Mr. Hariri has been meeting top officials. At the State Department, MP Hariri said there was strong US backing for the government’s reform program and for the UN probe to reveal the truth behind last February’s assassination of the late Premier.
Discussions with the US Secretary of State also focused on the security situation in Lebanon. MP Hariri asked for US support for the Lebanese Army and the Internal Security Forces, to shore up stability in the country, which is a top priority. Asked by reporters about some claims that the US practices tutelage over Lebanon, he rejected any custodianship over the country and made clear that there is nothing wrong in requesting the support of the US or the European Union, adding the US and Lebanon enjoy excellent ties and they will not turn into enemies due to animosity between other parties.
In response to a question on whether he gave any guarantees to deploy the Lebanese Army in South Lebanon in exchange for military aid, MP Hariri stressed that the Army and the Internal Security Forces are in need of major support, not only from the US, but also from Egypt, Jordan, EU states. He said the international community is willing to help Lebanon to preserve democracy, freedom and sovereignty.
Regarding US Secretary of State Rice’s call for Syrian cooperation in the UN probe into the former Prime Minister’s murder, MP Hariri urged cooperation with the international investigation, to uphold Syrian and Lebanese interests in revealing the perpetrators of the bombing attack. He also told reporters that the new head of the UN team Mr. Serge Brammertz has just arrived in Lebanon, and hoped that the probe will intensify its pace to punish the perpetrators, adding the more Syria cooperates with the team the better the situation in the region will become.
Asked about his achievements from the US visit, MP Hariri said a delegation from the International Monetary Fund will travel to Lebanon next month for talks on the government’s reform program, and stressed that the idea of holding an international conference in support of the Lebanese economy has been revived.