U. S. Congressmen: 'Yes' to Palestinian Settlement, 'No' to Syrian Tutelage
A U.S. Congressional delegation had tense encounters with Lebanon's leaders as visitors asserted that settling Palestinians in Lebanon was as imperative as a total withdrawal of Syrian troops and the deployment of the Lebanese army along the entire border with Israel, the Beirut media reported on Saturday.
As the five-member visiting team wound up a 24-hour stop on Beirut and left to Damascus Friday, it's leader Christopher Shays promised to bring up with President Assad the "interference of his government in Lebanon," An Nahar reported.
The visitors had rounds of talks with President Lahoud, Vice Speaker Elie Firizly because Speaker Berri refused to personally meet the delegation and with Foreign Minister Jean Obeid.
The visitors stunned the Lebanese officials by contending that the estimated 350,000 Palestinians in 12 refugee camps across Lebanon should be settled and given Lebanese passports. Their right to return should be scrapped because "it stands in the way of the peace process in the Middle East."
The Lebanese leaders took an absolutely opposite stance, asserting the Palestinians would not be settled in Lebanon under any circumstance because their right to return to their land is untouchable.
President Lahoud asserted that Syria's military presence in Lebanon was a stabilizing factor that stopped the partitioning of Lebanon into sectarian mini-states. It also helped establish security, law and order in Lebanon after 15 years of civil warfare, Lahoud added, according to the local media.
Both Lahoud and Firizly rejected the delegation's charge that Hizbullah was "very active in terrorism with Syria's help and Iran's funding." The two Lebanese officials said Hizbullah was a freedom fighter whose resistors forced Israel to end 22 years of occupation in south Lebanon, according to media reports
Naharnet News Desk
As the five-member visiting team wound up a 24-hour stop on Beirut and left to Damascus Friday, it's leader Christopher Shays promised to bring up with President Assad the "interference of his government in Lebanon," An Nahar reported.
The visitors had rounds of talks with President Lahoud, Vice Speaker Elie Firizly because Speaker Berri refused to personally meet the delegation and with Foreign Minister Jean Obeid.
The visitors stunned the Lebanese officials by contending that the estimated 350,000 Palestinians in 12 refugee camps across Lebanon should be settled and given Lebanese passports. Their right to return should be scrapped because "it stands in the way of the peace process in the Middle East."
The Lebanese leaders took an absolutely opposite stance, asserting the Palestinians would not be settled in Lebanon under any circumstance because their right to return to their land is untouchable.
President Lahoud asserted that Syria's military presence in Lebanon was a stabilizing factor that stopped the partitioning of Lebanon into sectarian mini-states. It also helped establish security, law and order in Lebanon after 15 years of civil warfare, Lahoud added, according to the local media.
Both Lahoud and Firizly rejected the delegation's charge that Hizbullah was "very active in terrorism with Syria's help and Iran's funding." The two Lebanese officials said Hizbullah was a freedom fighter whose resistors forced Israel to end 22 years of occupation in south Lebanon, according to media reports
Naharnet News Desk
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