Feltman in Beirut on Wednesday, Says U.S. Has Evidence that Hizbullah Helping Assad
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman has said Washington has evidence that Tehran and its Lebanese ally Hizbullah are bolstering Syria’s Assad regime.
Speaking in Amman, Feltman told reporters that Syrian President Bashar Assad is pegging his ruling Alawite minority against other sects and implementing his "own prophesy, which is moving Syria into more chaos and a civil war."
The U.S. has "evidence" that Iran and Hizbullah have agents in Syria to bolster Assad's waning regime, he said.
The top diplomat for the Middle East said Assad is responsible for deepening the sectarian division in Syria.
Feltman told reporters that Washington has been in touch with Syrian Christians to prod them "not to stand on the side of the attacker," but declined to elaborate.
Many among Syria's Christian and other minorities have sided with Assad's regime, fearing they would be targeted if the Sunni majority takes over.
Feltman is expected to arrive in Beirut on a two-day visit on Wednesday.
By Monday, it was not yet clear with whom the diplomat will hold talks. Informed sources told An Nahar daily that he will most likely meet with Premier Najib Miqati and Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour.
He could also hold talks with Central Bank governor Riyad Salameh and other officials, they said.
However, the sources didn’t confirm whether Feltman will meet with Speaker Nabih Berri who had rejected to have any contact with the U.S. official over WikiLeaks cables.
Source: Associated Press, Naharnet
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