By KUNA,
Washington : The United States has indicated that the international community may help the Lebanese government bring order on the streets after days of clashes in the embattled country.
“We might support the Lebanese government in their efforts to work on behalf of the Lebanese people, help bring some order to the streets of Beirut and to Lebanon in the face of what is a direct challenge from Hezbollah,” said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack in a press briefing Monday.
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is holding a conference call Monday with Friends of Lebanon, the group of Arab and international countries that held its last meeting in Kuwait on April 22, to address the situation in Lebanon and advance consultations in the UN Security Council.
McCormack said that the ministerial level conference call will include Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and representatives from the Arab League, the European Union and the United Nations.
The Lebanese government, led by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, issued decrees last Monday stating Hezbollah’s landline network as illegal and transferred airport security chief Brigadier General Wafiq Shqeir. Hezbollah in return classified these decisions as “declaration of war” and clashes started all over Lebanon leading to over 50 deaths so far.
“We think that Prime Minister Siniora and his government are strong. And once the dust settles again, would suspect the Lebanese people would take a look at what happened,” said McCormack noting that the what happened in Lebanon could harm the popularity of Hezbollah.
“The Siniora government has shown itself incredibly resilient in the face of these kinds of challenges, not only from within, from armed groups like Hezbollah,” said McCormack while referring to “the continued Syrian meddling in Lebanon’s political affairs”.
Answering a question about whether the Lebanese government should recall its latest decisions that sparked the clashes, he expressed confidence in “the decisions that the government takes in the best interests of the Lebanese people.”
McCormack praised the Lebanese government’s record in democracy and economic reforms.
“That stands in stark contrast to the actions of groups like Hezbollah, that we have seen recently, that have resulted only in damaged personal property, certainly resulted in economic loss, the shutdown of the airport and the airport road. And most tragically, the loss of innocent Lebanese lives,” he added.