Clinton Says U.S. Must Maintain Support for Lebanese Army
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that she supports continuing U.S. military aid to Lebanon following the appointment of Hizbullah-backed premier-designate Najib Miqati, U.S. daily The Washington Times reported.
"I believe still at this point that we should continue supporting the Lebanese armed forces," Clinton said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. "I know that's been the subject of some debate here in the Congress."
Clinton said that although the new Lebanese government has not yet been formed, "once it is, we will review its composition, its policies and its behavior to determine the extent of Hizbullah's political influence over it."
She praised the Lebanese military as a "nonsectarian institution" that "cooperates with the United Nations mission in the south (UNIFIL), to try to keep the peace there."
Clinton said ending aid to Lebanon's military would yield dire consequences.
"We worry that if the United States does not continue supporting the Lebanese armed forces, its capabilities will rapidly deteriorate, security in the south and along the border with Israel will be at risk," she said.
She also stressed the United States' strong "military-to-military ties with the Lebanese armed forces," arguing that a similar relationship with the Egyptian military had paid dividends.
On Tuesday Clinton said that Syria's relations with Iran and Hizbullah were not in the interest of Damascus in the long-run.
That's why Washington sent a new ambassador to Damascus, Clinton said during a testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
She reiterated that relations between Syria, Iran and Hizbullah cause a "major concern" for the U.S.
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