U.S. Dead Serious about Getting Syria Out, Removing Hizbullah off N. Israel

The Bush administration is 'seriously determined' to get Syria out of Lebanon and will redouble pressure on the Beirut government to deploy The Lebanese army along the border with Israel to remove Hizbullah's irregulars off the last active Arab-Israeli warfront, U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman says. The ambassador spelled out the hardened U.S. stance during what An Nahar labeled in its page-one banner-line Thursday as "Feltman's day on Beirut podiums," which came just two days after Bush swore in hawkish Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State during his second term in the White House, replacing dovish Colin Powell. Feltman spoke at four rostrums Wednesday, one after meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir in Bkirki, secondly at Lebanon's Press Association in Raouche, then at the Journalist's Association in Ashrafiyeh, and finally at a question-and-answer session with a packed audience in the Lebanese press Club in downtown Beirut. He made these major statements: 1- Syria must withdraw its army from Lebanon in compliance with U.N. Security Council resolution 1559 to enable Lebanon to be a "sovereign, independent state." The U.S. and its world partners are dead serious about 1559's implementation and the Syrians must be "careful not to misread us." 2- The U.S. wants to see a positive and constructive relationship created between Lebanon and Syria on a basis of mutual respect, non-intervention in each other's domestic affairs, and the establishment of normal diplomatic ties between the two governments. "Lebanon's sovereignty deserves respect." 3-The Beirut government is required to quickly deploy the Lebanese army along the Blue Line and disarm Hizbullah and Palestinian militias operating on Lebanese territory. "The Lebanese army is a professional fighting machine capable of deploying throughout South Lebanon and the rest of the Lebanese territories." 4- The United States wants to see "credible and transparent" elections for a new Lebanese parliament in spring according to international norms . "The United States will be extremely supportive for a new electoral law that enables the people of Lebanon to express their will at the polls."