Lieberman Hopes Syrian Crisis Won’t Affect Lebanon, Slams Lack of Support for Opposition
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman hoped on Wednesday that the conflict in Syria would not reach Lebanon and criticized the region’s countries for “not doing enough” to support the Syrian opposition.
Following talks with Premier Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail at the end of his visit, Lieberman also praised the Lebanese government for its assistance to Syrian refugees who have fled the violence in their country.
He also said that he understands the Lebanese government’s decision to distance itself from the developments in neighboring Syria.
He added that nearly a year since the formation of the government, Miqati has demonstrated that he is an independent figure in the Lebanese political divide.
The Lebanese government is motivated by the need to provide refugees with humanitarian assistance and remain vigilant to any individual that may cause a problem in Lebanon, noted the U.S. senator.
The independent senator mostly caucuses with Democrats but he is hawkish on national security and has advocated further U.S. intervention in Syria, including the arming of Syrian opposition groups against Assad’s regime.
Earlier in the day, Lieberman visited at the head of a U.S. delegation the Lebanese-Syrian border at the Bqayaa crossing of Wadi Khaled in northern Lebanon.
During the two-hour tour, he met with several displaced Syrian families at the residence of the former municipal chief of al-Moqaibleh in the area of Bqayaa.
Liberman denied that talks addressed arms smuggling to Syria, but he did relay to Miqati Syrian refugee assertions that members of the Free Syrian Army were not hiding among them.
He also voiced their gratitude to the Lebanese government and various organizations for their aid.
A U.S. Embassy statement said the U.S. senator also held a meeting with President Michel Suleiman. He met with Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat along with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman on Tuesday.
“In his meetings, the senator discussed bilateral relations and the situation in Syria,” the statement said.
Lieberman arrived in Beirut on Tuesday from Saudi Arabia where he held talks with King Abdullah and other senior officials as part of a Middle East tour to discuss the Syria crisis.
Throughout his talks, he urged the need to provide the Syrian people and refugees with further assistance.
02 May 2012, 13:48
03
This is the history of Lebanese system tolerance show, terrorist groups, Palestinian used to receive weapon through the Syrian regime the entire time, now the opposition can't get anything through Lebanese, all comes from Iraq and Turkey.
02 May 2012, 14:00
31
support shpuld be to all oppositions of all arab countries against all non democratic regimes
so the job mr LIberman should be to support all oppositions in the arab world cause there aint any single arab democracy
thank you
02 May 2012, 14:01
72
what next lebanon, will you also receive Netanyahou and give him a tour of the country. What is wrong with you people, first Feltman the Zionist spy and now the biggest Zionist of them all, Lieberman. Did you people forget 2006 already, did the children of Qana die for nothing!!!!
02 May 2012, 14:54
01
its not avigdor leiberman u blabbering idiot .. this is a us senator (DIFFERENT PERSONNN)
02 May 2012, 14:59
01
we repeat and repeat, no mr liberman it will not affect lebanon for three reasons:
1- lebanese are aware that farsis and wahabies are the same devil.
2- lebanese are aware that iran is maneuvring with the americans to get a better price for their nuclear , like carpet bazar they are good at.
3- lebanese have the best experience in the region of war and its tragedies.
god save the sunnis in lebanon from the wahaby devil, god save the shia from the farsi/faqihi evil,and god keep the chritian neutral becose that is their might.
02 May 2012, 15:07
01
Qana is one thing so put it aside for now...but, did we forget 2006? Are you serious? No, we didn't forget 2006, we didn't forget that it was a war provoked by Iran/Syria through their terrorist gang Hizbullah. That war and the ensuing destruction was completely the fault of Hizbullah, not Isreal. Hizbullah started it...period! If you want to leberate Palestine, do it from Iranian and Syrian bases, not from Lebanese territory you cowards. Leave us alone to live in peace. Go launch your attacks from Iran and Syria and let the retaliation fall on those countries, not ours.
02 May 2012, 16:33
00
Anasouri: you can't kill your parents and claim that you are an orphan.
In 2006 , you have started. we don't give up lives of 9 soldiers being killed in Israeli soil by Hezballa terrorists and expect Israel to give the other cheek.
You want border quiet? make sure the Lebanese side will be quiet you will get same from Israeli side.
We are all sorry for those who perished but its your fault.
Children of Qana could remain alive, same many other in Lebanon.
02 May 2012, 16:47
17
Hezbollah and no one else is responsible for what happened in 2006.
02 May 2012, 21:07
10
To anasouri: You took the words out of my mouth. What is this Israeli-firster and a traitor to US interests doing in Lebanon?
02 May 2012, 22:50
01
What proof do you have that Feltman is a Zionist spy or that Lieberman is a Zionist? Just a quick reminder, while you are entitled to voice your opinion, accusing people you have never in your life met and without a shred of evidence, of being things they may or may not be, is exactly the kind of BS self-respecting people should not be repeating to each other because no matter how many time you repeat a fabrication, it does not become the truth.
03 May 2012, 02:40
10
What? Are you blind or just stupid. You must be the only person in the world who doesn't know joe Lieberman is the biggest Zionist of them all. Maybe you should read some more and do some research before you pretend you know anything.
02 May 2012, 14:27
50
So what lieberman is really saying is that we need the region to be in a constant state of chaos, the way we accomplish this is not to have the americans interfere cause thats starting to look bad, lets rather persuade the arab "democratic free" neighbors here for more "support" to the so called opposition and later slam others who are so far somewhat neutral for not doing enough, in other words come on guys half of u support the opp while the other half support the other and lets keep this going for a few decades till the region burns back to sub stone age while meanwhile we figure out what to do with the oil fields and shuffle our expenses, comedy show really.
02 May 2012, 14:47
00
Anasouri,
A bit of diplomacy. Nobody forgot 2006. You need to discuss with everybody a solution that would able to get you the best possible outcome for our country, in this case Lebanon, and ALL Lebanese.
Let Syria settle its own problems, Lebanon has no place in Syrian internal affairs (just as I would refuse Syrians even thinking of influencing Lebanese internal affairs), As for humanitarian efforts to the Syrian crisis, our religion and conscience obliges us to do so, if they one day have a democratically elected government, nobody would be happier than I.
02 May 2012, 20:08
20
Lebanon has the regime in the region closest in design to Israel: race-based, where the minority has the preponderance of power. This is the US's idea of stability.
02 May 2012, 20:10
40
Jabal's attitude is the one desired by the US for all Lebanese, that of the abused wife who blames herself for being beaten by her crazy husband and defends his behavior: this is the way he shows he loves me, this is God's will.
02 May 2012, 21:08
02
who is the closest to the husband you are describing? hezb who is "beating" the lebanese people by maintaining the country under their threat....
02 May 2012, 23:03
01
I hope you know that you sound incoherent! And why on earth are you insult Americans and women to make a point of some sort?
02 May 2012, 21:28
00
How about slamming Lieberman and the US for not supporting the Lebanese opposition for over 20 years when the Syrians were occupying Lebanon? I guess those who these days call themselves March 14 were in Syria's pocket then. But then, they are only to be found in someone's pocket at any time, and from there they whisper: 7orriyeh, siyedeh, este2lel
02 May 2012, 22:59
00
I disagree with you fellow Texan. I speculate that the US government still holds true in its belief that they have a card to play with Assad against the Party of God aka "Hzb el Kzb & Errheb". The US continues to believe that the only military force on the planet that can decimate Hzb el Kzb & Errheb is the Syrian army. The US also will, against its better judgment, look the other way and not take action on the ground against Assad as long as it believes it can manipulate him or barter with him to turn against the aforementioned Party of Terror.
02 May 2012, 23:06
01
I love it. Well said and I agree, Christianity is about peace, love and respecting others.
03 May 2012, 10:42
01
The filthy Persian militia must realluy have a bad one when all these Jewish politician come to Lebanon with orders. Loool Religion is poison.
