Connelly Says Elections Delay May Worsen Tensions, Affect Investments

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly on Wednesday voiced concern that delaying the parliamentary elections could aggravate the tensions in Lebanon and affect economic investments.

In an interview on Future TV, Connelly revealed that her administration had a problem in dealing with the outgoing cabinet of caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati due to Hizbullah's presence in the government.

She hoped the line-up of the new cabinet will allow Washington to have better ties with the government of Lebanon, but stressed that the cabinet formation process is a purely Lebanese affair.

Connelly also called on Lebanon to dissociate itself from the conflict in Syria as much as possible, describing Hizbullah's involvement in the fighting as a blatant violation of Lebanon's self-dissociation policy and the Baabda Declaration, while noting that it has also created a dilemma for the party's supporters.

In response to a question, the U.S. envoy ruled out an imminent modification of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 over Hizbullah's interference in the Syrian conflict.