State Department on Lebanese Elections

Daily Press Briefing, 

Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC,  August 25, 2004

 

QUESTION: From Lebanon, General Emil Lahoud has formally announced that he's
  going to stay or willing to stay for a second term, and the Lebanon
  constitution is against that and the majority of Lebanese opposing that, but
  that seems likely to happen because Syria is backing that President Lahoud
  movement. Do you have any comment on that?

  MR. ERELI: I think there are a lot of suppositions there in the question, but
  let me try to just give you what America's policy is.

  Number one, the United States strongly supports a free and fair electoral
  process in Lebanon. That means one that is conducted according to the
  established Lebanese constitution. That constitution provides for a new
  president every six years, selected by parliament.

  The election of a president is a decision for the Lebanese people alone to
  make, consistent with their established constitution. It is our view that no
  outside country should interfere in this process. But, as a matter of policy,
  the United States does not take a position on individual candidates.

  QUESTION: But how do you think the Syrians' role on this? It's likely to make
  President Lahoud move succeed here against the Lebanese way.

  MR. ERELI: Well, again, those are suppositions. Our view is that, as I said
  before, the decision of who is the president of Lebanon is a decision for the
  Lebanese people, not for the Syrians and not for the Americans, not for anybody
  else. Lebanon is an independent sovereign country; therefore, the people of
  Lebanon should decide who their president is, consistent with the provisions of
  their constitution, which call for the selection of a new president every six
  years.

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