BEIRUT - A top US offical reiterated on Thursday Washington's strong support for the Lebanese government and urged the immediate election of a president without foreign interference.
"The parliament should open, it should meet, the election should happen without further delay and should not be stalled by any other condition whatsoever," said David Welch after meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, whose government is locked in a stand-off with the Hezbollah-led opposition over the election of a president.
"It's not good that this position, that of president, has been vacant for so long because of course it is the most important Christian office in the land."
Welch accused the Hezbollah-led opposition and Syria, without naming them, of trying the scuttle efforts to elect a head of state to replace pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud, who stepped down at the end of his mandate in November.
"Some who have been influenced by outsiders have unilaterally taken steps to arrest this political process, to facilitate their own goals ... and those of their allies," said Welch, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.
"The future of Lebanon belongs to the Lebanese, not to any neighbours, not to the United States," he added.
He said Washington supports an Arab League initiative which calls for the immediate election of a president, the formation of a national unity government and a new electoral law.
The initiative has stalled over the demand by the opposition to have veto power in the new government.
Welch's visit comes days before lawmakers are scheduled to make an 18th attempt in parliament to replace Lahoud, but all indicators are that the session will not take place for lack of agreement between the ruling coalition, backed by the US and some Arab states, and the opposition, backed by Syria and Iran.
The American diplomat was also to meet with parliament speaker and opposition leader Nabih Berri Thursday as well as Walid Jumblatt, a leader in the ruling coalition.
He said that the international tribunal set up to try those behind the 2005 assassination of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri was an "irreversible" process.
"It (the tribunal) is crucial to ending the era of impunity for political crimes and assassinations," Welch said.
Syria has been widely blamed of being behind Hariri's killing but has denied involvement.
US embassy spokeswoman Cherie Lenzen said Welch's previously unannounced visit coincides with a ceremony on Friday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the US embassy bombing in Beirut. More than 60 people were killed, most of them embassy staff.
An embassy official told AFP that families of the Lebanese victims of the 1983 attack will attend Friday's ceremony while the families of the American victims will attend a parallel ceremony in the United States.
ra-jz
04/17/2008 16:53 GMT