Burns Meets Jumblat, Saniora after Arriving in Beirut on Official Visit
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns arrived in Beirut on Sunday for talks with Lebanese officials, a few days after postponing his trip.
Burns, accompanied by a U.S. delegation, arrived in Beirut from Baghdad around 3:30 p.m., state-run National News Agency reported.
He was welcomed at the airport by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly amid strict security measures, NNA said.
In his first meeting, Burns held talks with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat in Clemenceau, in the presence of Connelly, ministers Ghazi Aridi and Wael Abu Faour, and Jumblat's son Taimour.
The U.S. official left Clemenceau without making any statement, NNA reported.
Later, Burns met with head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc, former premier Fouad Saniora, at the Center House in Beirut, in the presence of Connelly, MP Nohad al-Mashnouq and advisers Mohammed Shatah and Murad al-Jammal.
Talks tackled the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, according to a statement issued by former premier Saad Hariri's office.
Burns was expected on Thursday and Friday to meet with President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Caretaker Premier Najib Miqati, PM-designate Tammam Salam, MP Jumblat and several March 14 alliance figures.
However, he postponed his trip for accompanying Secretary of State John Kerry, who was shuttling back and forth between Jerusalem and Amman in his bid to revive long dormant Middle East peace talks.
An Nahar newspaper said Thursday that Burns would stress in his talks with the Lebanese officials the importance of adopting the policy of dissociation from the Syrian war and the rejection of the involvement of any Lebanese party in the crisis.
He will also reiterate that the U.S. is committed to support the Lebanese Armed Forces in confronting the challenges that they are facing, it said.
The report came as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey said Wednesday that he has recommended increasing security assistance to Lebanon as the violence in Syria spills across borders.
He said the assistance is aimed at improving Lebanon's military capabilities and could include sending in U.S. training teams and accelerating foreign military sales of weapons and equipment.
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