On al-Hariri visit to the USA

The BBC correspondent in Beirut said on Friday that the Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri announced during his arrival back from Washington that the US officials showed interests in the new Syrian leadership and the possibility of cooperating with it.

The correspondent added that for the first time since the formation of his second government, al-Hariri chaired a meeting for the Lebanese cabinet on Thursday after President Lahoud asked him to do so because he is in Romania.

The correspondent added that al-Hariri presiding over a session for the Lebanese government came amid increased information on the emergence of new tensions in the relation between the President Lahoud and himself after al-Hariri made a foreign tour led him to Washington, a matter which provoked the Lebanese President.

The correspondent added that al-Hariri's visit to Washington was abundant with staffs of the US administration, as it seemed that the visit of al-Hariri had a heavy presence in the US with a clear conflict recently emerged between Lahoud and al-Hariri on seizing political files.