Berri Condemns Feltman’s ’Blatant Interference,’ Says he Was Right in not Meeting with him

Speaker Nabih Berri slammed what he called the blatant meddling of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman in Lebanon’s internal affairs.

In remarks to As Safir daily on Monday, Berri stressed that he took the right decision not to hold talks with Feltman after he read the statement issued over the diplomat’s visit to Beirut on Friday.

The statement said that Feltman reiterated to Lebanese officials the U.S. view that the international community will assess its ties with any new government based on its make-up, its policy statement and the actions it takes with regard to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and Lebanon’s other international obligations.

“He also noted the U.S. concern about events on Lebanon's southern border on May 15. He emphasized the importance of maintaining strong border security on all of Lebanon’s borders in order to prevent incidents that increase tensions that can lead to casualties and negatively impact the security of the region,” the statement added.

Berri told As Safir that the former U.S. ambassador to Lebanon only sought to express his country’s concern about the implications of the Nakba Day incident on the security of the Jewish state.

Feltman ignored the “brutal Israeli attack” that left hundreds of casualties in the southern border town of Maroun al-Ras, he said.

The speaker slammed Feltman and the Obama administration for only “bragging about human rights in their statements and stances.”