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Barack Obama and Said Hariri at the White House, Washington, May 24, 2010 (photo by AP)

Obama warns Hariri of growing Hezbollah weapons threat

U.S. President Barak Obama used talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Said Hariri in Washington on Monday night to warn of the growing danger of arms smuggling to Hezbollah militants.
"The President stressed [...] the threat posed by the transfer of weapons into Lebanon in violation of UNSCR 1701," the White House said in a statement following the meeting.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 was passed after a month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006 and calls for the disarmament of the Shi'a Muslim group – but despite the presence of a UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, it has yet to be enforced.
Hariri's first official visit to the United States took place against a backdrop of tensions in the Middle East, U.S. efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and growing momentum toward new international sanctions on Iran, Hezbollah's major backer.
Lebanon and Syria have said they fear a possible attack by Israel after President Shimon Peres accused Syria in April of supplying Hezbollah with long-range Scud missiles capable of hitting major Israeli cities. Damascus has denied the charge and accused Israel of fomenting war.
Some U.S. officials have expressed doubt that any Scuds were actually handed over in full to Hezbollah, although they believe Syria might have transferred weapons parts.
"We obviously have grave concerns about the transfer of any missile capability to Hezbollah through Lebanon from Syria," a senior Obama administration official said on Friday, saying the issue would likely be raised in Monday's talks.
Hariri has also denied Israel's accusations, while his government has said it backs the right of the guerrilla group to keep its weapons to deter Israeli attacks. Israel has not signaled any imminent plans to strike.
Earlier Hariri met U.S. Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell, who made clear that the Obama administration hoped Lebanon would play a major role in an eventual regional peace deal with Israel.
"I told Prime Minister Hariri that I hope to renew our dialogue in Lebanon in the not-too-distant future," Mitchell said after the meeting. "I look forward to working closely with him and having the benefit of his counsel in our quest for comprehensive Middle East peace."
He said: "Over the past four decades Lebanon has struggled to survive as a beacon of pluralism and tolerance in a neighborhood that has grown increasingly volatile and dangerous."
Mitchell reassured Hariri that peace between Israel and the Palestinians would not force Lebanon to absorb Palestinian refugees, who form a large contingent of the country's population.
"We have made it clear - and I repeated to the Prime Minister today - that comprehensive peace cannot and must not include the forced naturalization of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon," Mitchell said.
Apparently trying to keep the spotlight off Middle East tensions, the White House limited press coverage of the meeting to letting news photographers into the Oval Office at the end of the session. There were no plans for the leaders to appear together for public statements.

Lebanon's changing role

Despite the recent war of words that has heightened tensions in the region, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, noted on Friday "that recent tension is now diminishing."
Williams, who held talks with Hariri in Beirut, was quoted by the prime minister's office as saying he was pleased "that all sides have scaled back the rhetoric."
Obama and Hariri also discussed U.S.-led international efforts to isolate Iran over its disputed nuclear program, officials said. Lebanon holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council through May 31.
Diplomats said Beirut had quietly asked the permanent members of the Security Council -Britain, France, Russia, China and the United States - not to push for a vote on a new Iran sanctions resolution while it held the presidency.
Lebanon is expected to abstain in any vote because Iranian-backed Hezbollah is in its government, diplomats said.
Jon Alterman, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said Lebanon no longer enjoyed the status it had under the Bush administration, when it was the "fulcrum" of efforts to spread democracy in the Middle East.
The Obama administration's Middle East policy is more focused on the nuclear stand-off with Iran, war in Afghanistan, and reviving the Middle East peace process, he said.
Nevertheless, the United States has expanded military assistance to Lebanon to strengthen its armed forces as a counterweight to Hezbollah, allocating 500 million euros to training and equipping Lebanese security forces since 2005.

By Natasha Mozgovaya and News Agencies

Haaretz.com