Washington: We Are Encouraging Syria to Respect Lebanon's Sovereignty
The U.S. said it supports French President Nicolas Sarkozy's suggestion to form a contact group on Lebanon and stressed that it was urging Syria to respect the country's sovereignty.
"We are supporting this process. But as to when diplomats get together, I can't project at this point," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in his briefing on Tuesday about the French proposal.
Asked if Syria had rejected the contact group, he said: "Syria … has an interest in Lebanon. We have been in touch with the Syrian government and are encouraging Syria and other countries to respect the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon."
When asked about the collapse of the Lebanese government following the resignation of 11 Hizbullah-backed ministers from the cabinet, Crowley said: "I don't think that we challenge that in a parliamentary system, various ministers can either support or oppose a sitting government. That's not the issue. The issue really is what is the purpose."
The resignations "are intended to force Lebanon to choose between justice and security. Now, that's a false choice," he said.
"Our focus is on a sovereign, independent Lebanon," Crowley told reporters and hoped that politicians would continue to support the needs of the Lebanese rather than implement foreign agendas.
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