Washington, October 29: The United States hopes that Lebanon’s political factions will agree on a cabinet “in the coming days” and looks forward to working with the new government, a top US diplomat said Wednesday.
“Expectations are currently high that a cabinet could be announced within the coming days. We certainly hope this is the case,” said Jeffrey Feltman, acting US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs.
Feltman’s comments came in prepared testimony for delivery to the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee’s subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.
Lebanon held a general election five months ago, when voters opted for a coalition of parties led by Western- and Saudi-backed Saad Hariri, son of former premier Rafiq Hariri, assassinated four years ago.
Since late June, prime minister-designate Hariri has failed to form a government by bridging differences between his own bloc and the opposition, led by Syrian- and Iranian-backed Shiite party Hezbollah.
“The Lebanese people have waited too long for their government to return to the work of ensuring security, economic development, and political dialogue for all Lebanese citizens,” said Feltman.
The diplomat also said Washington hoped to develop better ties with Syria, for decades the dominant power in Lebanon, but that an improved relationship “not going to come at the expense of Lebanon’s sovereignty.”
The power vacuum was highlighted late on Tuesday when a rocket fired from Lebanon slammed into northern Israel and the Jewish state retaliated with an artillery barrage.
On Wednesday morning, the Lebanese army discovered four more rockets, primed and ready to be fired at Israel from the border village of Hula, the origin of the previous day’s attack.
No one has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, the fourth this year, but Israel’s eyes are bound to be on Hezbollah, with which it fought a 34-day war in 2006 that was disastrous for Lebanon.
—Agencies