Ashton in Beirut: Some Causing Problems in Lebanon to Divert Attention from Situation in Region

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton warned on Tuesday against a political vacuum in Lebanon after the opposition March 14 camp called for Premier Najib Miqati to step down over the assassination of Intelligence Bureau chief Maj. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan in a car bombing blamed on Syria.

Ashton met with Miqati at the Grand Serail, President Michel Suleiman at the Baabda palace and Speaker Nabih Berri at Ain el-Tineh.

Following talks with Miqati, she claimed, without pointing a finger, that "there are some who are trying to divert attention from the situation in the region by causing problems in Lebanon."

"This attack is a terrible thing; we are concerned about the stability of Lebanon," Ashton added.

In her meeting with Suleiman, Ashton expressed her concerns of a possible political vacuum and the EU's commitment to the "sovereignty, independence and stability of Lebanon," the National News Agency said.

Ashton's visit to Lebanon, planned before the attack, is the second leg of a five-day regional tour ending in Jerusalem.

She was to hold a press conference at the Rafik Hariri International Airport later Tuesday.

Al-Liwaa daily reported Tuesday that Ashton was expected to reiterate the EU’s position announced by the EU ambassadors to Lebanon when they met the senior Lebanese officials two days ago.

The ambassadors had voiced international fear over the situation in Lebanon and called against plunging the country into a power vacuum, informed sources told the daily.

Ashton's visit aims mainly to address the issue of Syrian refugees on the Lebanese-Syrian border, said al-Liwaa.

Hasan was assassinated Friday in a massive car bombing in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh neighborhood that killed three people and wounded over 100.