BEIRUT, 17 October 2004 — Prime Minister Rafik Hariri summoned Washington’s ambassador to Lebanon yesterday over reports Congress was considering freezing the accounts and assets of Lebanese and Syrian officials in the United States as a way to pressure both countries.
Hariri expressed to Jeffrey Feltman “his concern and objections” to reports that US President George W. Bush has received proposals from lawmakers to freeze such accounts to secure compliance with a UN resolution calling for a Syrian troop withdrawal from Lebanon, according to a statement from the prime minister’s press office.
The UN Security Council adopted the resolution on Sept. 2. Secretary-General Kofi Annan reported Oct. 1 that Syria had not withdrawn its forces and that Lebanon had failed to disband and disarm all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, as demanded by the Council.
In response, the US and France are trying to issue a Security Council statement or new resolution repeating the demands. Some US lawmakers also are urging Bush to freeze US assets of Lebanese officials helping maintain Syria’s control over Lebanon.
Syria sent troops to neighboring Lebanon in 1976 to help quell a civil war. They remained through 14 years of fighting, and are still in the country.
US-Syrian relations have been strained over a host of issues and Washington imposed sanctions on Syria late last year. The legislation accused Damascus of seeking weapons of mass destruction and of giving shelter to Palestinian groups labeled by the US as terrorist. It also accused Syria of not doing enough to prevent militants entering Iraq and demanded Syria withdraw its troops from Lebanon. The congressional proposals, confirmed Saturday by Feltman, were published in local newspapers this week.
Following his meeting with Hariri, Feltman said the premier “had expressed concern about press reports of the proposal in Washington to impose financial sanctions” on Lebanese and Syrian officials.
“I told the prime minister, at this point, it is an idea, a proposal. It wasn’t yet law,” Feltman said. “However, this proposal does reflect the very strong concern within the US Congress about supporting the full independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Lebanon.”
