March 14 Officially Asks Washington to Back Lebanon against Syrian-Iranian Intervention

by **Admin** Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:02 am

The
March 14 majority alliance on Thursday asked the United States to
support the presidential election, speed up efforts to put the
international tribunal in action and back implementation of all U.N.
resolutions on Lebanon.

The
stand was outlined in a memo presented to U.S. Assistant Secretary of
State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch, who made an unscheduled
visit to Beirut.

March 14 representatives met Welch at the residence of ex-MP Faris Souaid in suburban Rabiyeh, north of Beirut.

Welch,
after the talks, called for the immediate election of a president,
noting that the presidential election should not have been delayed till
now.

The
March 14 memo said the Lebanese People want the United States to
"maintain" its commitment to Lebanon "which is in harmony with
international norms."

Such
a U.S. backing, the memo noted, is "badly needed by the Lebanese people
to balance the intervention by regional powers, near and far, that seek
to practice illegal influence in Lebanon with the aim of keeping it an
arena for conflicts and deals."

That was a clear reference to Syria and Iran.

"Lebanon remains in bad need for support," the memo stressed.

It
specifically asked Washington to back "Arab and Lebanese efforts aimed
at electing a president immediately and without preconditions."

The
memo noted that "Lebanon's crisis originates in Syria, and the Lebanese
chapter of which is a result of the Lebanese-Syrian crisis."

The
majority alliance also asked the United States to back the Lebanese
Army and Internal Security Forces (ISF) with training and equipment.

The
memo asked Washington to back "the formation of an international
commission to investigate the whereabouts of (Lebanese) detainees held
in Syrian jails."

Washington was also asked to support the rejection by Lebanon and the Palestinians to naturalize Palestinian refugees.

The
memo asked the United States to support implementation of clause 10 of
UNSCR 1701 related to tackling the issue of the Israeli-occupied Shebaa
farms.

Washington also is required to prevent attempts by Syria to regain control over Lebanon's decision-making.
Welch is to meet separately Premier Fouad Saniora and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat later in the day.