Lebanese presidency: The US should be tough on Israel, not us
Lebanese Presidential General Directorate said Friday that Lebanon's formal attitude towards the UN 1559 resolution stressed the respect to all the international resolutions particularly those related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
"There is no need to issue such a resolution if former UN resolutions were implemented then," the directorate said in a statement.
In a reply to what Deputy Assistant Secretary of States for Middle East Affairs David Satterfield said during a TV interview broadcast yesterday that Lebanon is committed to its strategic principles regarding the rejection of settling the Palestinians on its land and the deployment of the Lebanese army along southern borders.
"Satterfield has no right to interfere in the Lebanese internal issues or give his points of view to be dealt by all international media ... since he is a representative of a great country that calls for ending interference in the others' affairs," the statement clarified.
The Lebanese Presidential General Directorate underlined that Satterfield has no right to accuse the Lebanese Presidency of being skeptical about the Lebanese army's capabilities "he knows very well that when he was an ambassador to Lebanon the army was rebuilt and trained by Syria." The statement stressed that he who wants Lebanon's stability and independence supports its army and that is exactly what Syria has done. "It would be better if the American official showed such an ability of threat to Israel, then all of the region's problems would have been solved" the statement said.
Meantime, Lebanese president Emile Lahoud said on Friday that Lebanon respects the international resolutions and stressed the necessity for implementing the international resolutions without any exception underlining his country's refusal of any foreign interference.
"Syrian troops have an important role in enhancing stability in Lebanon and protecting its internal arena from the regional developments' repercussions," Lahoud said.