Secretary Rice Blames Iran, Syria For Lebanon Violence
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration accused Iran and Syria on Friday of fueling ongoing violence in Lebanon by inciting members of the radical Shiite Hezbollah movement to take up arms against the country's western-backed government.
As Hezbollah militants seized control of large parts of Beirut, the administration denounced the show of force, which it said was being supported by Iranian and Syrian elements. The U.S. also reaffirmed its support for Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's shaky coalition and vowed to hold those responsible accountable.
"Backed by Syria and Iran, Hezbollah and its allies are killing and injuring innocent citizens and undermining the legitimate authority of the Lebanese government and the institutions of the Lebanese state," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement.
"Seeking to protect their state within a state, Hezbollah has exploited its allies and demonstrated its contempt for its fellow Lebanese," she said. "We will stand by the Lebanese government and the peaceful citizens of Lebanon through the crisis and provide the support they need to weather this storm."
Rice spoke by phone with Saniora, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and France about the situation. The White House said the United States was talking "with other governments in the region and with the U.N. Security Council about measures that must be taken to hold those responsible for the violence in Beirut accountable."
"Hezbollah's relationship with Iran and Syria, as well as its history of international terrorism and provision of lethal support and training to Iraqi-based extremist groups, demonstrates the threat it poses to international peace and security," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
At the State Department, spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States had evidence that Iran and Syria, in particular, were beginning to take an active role in encouraging the three-days violence that has killed at least 14 people and wounded 20 since it began.
"It is becoming more apparent now that the linkages that we know exist and are ongoing between Hezbollah and Syria and Iran are starting to manifest themselves in the current crisis," he said. "At the beginning we didn't see it, but we are now."
Specifically, McCormack said U.S. officials were seeing "groups and individuals that are known associates and proxies of Syria ... starting to engage. Groups that are linked to Syria and that are in Lebanon right now are taking a much more active roll in fanning the flames and violence and attacks that are destabilizing the political situation."
A senior State Department official later identified three former pro-Syrian government ministers as "fully owned subsidiaries of Syria" who had taken to the airwaves Friday in support of Hezbollah. "These sorts of people don't get involved unless they have been told to do so," the official told reporters.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the delicacy of the situation in Beirut, added that U.S. analysts did not believe Hezbollah would have started the fight without "some kind of green light from Iran."
The United States has grown increasingly concerned about the violence _ Lebanon's worst sectarian fighting since the 1975-1990 civil war _ as it has unfolded and Hezbollah has taken control of key parts of Beirut from Sunnis loyal to the Saniora's government, which has been wracked by a long-running political deadlock.
Since Israel fought a monthlong war with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon in 2006, Washington has given the Lebanese government $1.3 billion in aid, including $400 million in training and equipment for the army and police forces.
On Friday, though, officials said they were not considering any major changes to that package and would focus instead on political and diplomatic support. They praised Saniora's government, as well as the army, which has stayed out of the fighting, for their professionalism and commitment to the Lebanese people.
"The army is acting in a professional manner," McCormack said. "We believe it is an effective professional force that is working on behalf on this government and on behalf of the Lebanese people. We think that the government is exercising sound judgment."
The army has pledged to keep the peace but not take sides in the long deadlock _ which pits Shiite Hezbollah and a few allies including some Christian groups, against the U.S.-backed government, which includes Christian and Sunni Muslims.
The State Department is considering how to protect an estimated 50,000 U.S. citizens in Beirut if conditions worsen, although it is assumed that many would not choose to leave because they hold dual nationality and have families in Lebanon.
The senior State Department official said there was no decision on what advice to offer Americans there, or about how to help any who choose to leave since the Beirut airport and main seaports are virtually shut down.
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Associated Press writer Desmond Butler contributed to this report.
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MATTHEW LEE | May 9, 2008 05:37 PM EST |
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