Hale Meets Lebanese Officials, Stresses Importance of Staging Elections

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale stressed on Saturday the importance of carrying out the presidential and parliamentary elections, pointing out that his country's role is to safeguard the democratic process.

“The U.S. role is not to pick or choose (instead of the Lebanese) but we want to help protect the process and prevent outsiders from making choices that only the Lebanese should make,” Hale said via twitter after talks with Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail.

On Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama urged Lebanon to hold elections as planned in May, despite tensions aggravated by the conflict in neighboring Syria, the American embassy in Beirut said.

President Michel Suleiman's mandate ends on May 25 and there are worries a successor will be hard to find because of disagreements between Lebanon's pro- and anti-Syria regime blocs.

In a telephone call to Salam, Obama "urged that the upcoming presidential elections be held on time and in keeping with the Lebanese constitution", a statement from the US embassy said.

Hale pointed out that the cabinet's main task should be confronting the urgent challenges, in particular, the spillover form Syrian conflict on the country.

The Ambassador lauded the cabinet's win of the parliament's confidence.

Hale noted that his country "provides tangible support to Lebanon, such as more than 1 billion dollars in recent years to the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces to aid them in their mission to protect all of Lebanon, including from terrorist attacks originating in Syria, and we have provided more than $340 million to help Lebanese host communities deal with the stress of refugees from Syria."

Salam's government garnered the support of 96 out of 101 lawmakers who attended Thursday's vote.

His 24-person Cabinet includes members of March 8 and 14 coalitions. Following more than 10 months of political wrangling, Salam cobbled together his government in February after bridging a political divide among the political forces.

The government is not expected to remain in office long. A new Cabinet should be formed after Suleiman's six-year term ends in May and a new head of state is elected.

Hale urged political parties to abide by the dissociation policy, considering it “right.”

“We see the tragic consequences of not adhering to the dissociation policy all across Lebanon,” the official said in a tweet.

He warned of the involvement of the Lebanese in Syria “on behalf of Syrians,” adding the matter will only draw war and violence to the country.

Baabda Declaration was unanimously adopted during a national dialogue session in June 2012. It calls for Lebanon to disassociate itself from regional crises, most notably the one in Syria.

"The longer the conflict in Syria goes on, the more the spillover into Lebanon will occur," the U.S. official said. 

He noted that the "regime (of President Bashar Assad) is the author, not the victim, of violence and extremism," warning that "support for that regime is only delaying the end of the conflict, and therefore increasing the dangers to Lebanon."

Hale later held talks with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh.

The state-run National News Agency reported that the two officials discussed the latest developments.

Hale also met with Head of al-Mustaqbal Parliamentary bloc Fouad Saniora.