BEIRUT, Lebanon — Vice President Joe Biden said Friday that future U.S. aid to Lebanon depends on the outcome of upcoming elections, a warning aimed at Iranian-backed Hezbollah as it tries to oust the pro-Western faction that dominates government.
Confident its alliance will win, Hezbollah criticized Biden’s visit as a U.S. attempt to influence the June 7 vote.
Biden is the highest-level U.S. official to visit Lebanon in more than 25 years, and the attention shows American concern that the vote could shift power firmly into the hands of Hezbollah.
"The election of leaders committed to the rule of law and economic reform opens the door to lasting growth and prosperity as it will here in Lebanon,” Biden said. The U.S. "will evaluate the shape of our assistance programs based on the composition of the new government and the policies it advocates.”
The U.S. considers Hezbollah a terrorist group, and Biden’s visit was clearly timed to bolster the Western-leaning faction led by Prime Minister Fuad Saniora ahead of the vote. He expressed strong support for the government.
"Lebanon has suffered terribly from war, and we have a real opportunity now … for peace,” he said after talks with President Michel Suleiman. "I urge those who think about standing with the spoilers of peace not to miss this opportunity to walk away from the spoilers.”
Biden’s visit caps a transformation in U.S. policy toward Lebanon. It began four years ago after more than two decades of steering clear of the country long viewed as a quagmire. Pro-Iranian militants targeted Americans with bombings and kidnappings in the 1980s.
by the associated press
Confident its alliance will win, Hezbollah criticized Biden’s visit as a U.S. attempt to influence the June 7 vote.
Biden is the highest-level U.S. official to visit Lebanon in more than 25 years, and the attention shows American concern that the vote could shift power firmly into the hands of Hezbollah.
"The election of leaders committed to the rule of law and economic reform opens the door to lasting growth and prosperity as it will here in Lebanon,” Biden said. The U.S. "will evaluate the shape of our assistance programs based on the composition of the new government and the policies it advocates.”
The U.S. considers Hezbollah a terrorist group, and Biden’s visit was clearly timed to bolster the Western-leaning faction led by Prime Minister Fuad Saniora ahead of the vote. He expressed strong support for the government.
"Lebanon has suffered terribly from war, and we have a real opportunity now … for peace,” he said after talks with President Michel Suleiman. "I urge those who think about standing with the spoilers of peace not to miss this opportunity to walk away from the spoilers.”
Biden’s visit caps a transformation in U.S. policy toward Lebanon. It began four years ago after more than two decades of steering clear of the country long viewed as a quagmire. Pro-Iranian militants targeted Americans with bombings and kidnappings in the 1980s.
by the associated press
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