BEIRUT, Nov 17 (AFP) - Washington's ambassador to Beirut on Wednesday called on the Lebanese government to deploy its army "very quickly" to the Israeli border area and disarm Hezbollah fighters there.
"It's the responsibility of the Lebanese government to exercise control over the border area. It's essential that this happens very quickly," Jeffrey Feltman told a press conference in the capital, adding that it was up to the government to "disarm the militias".
"The disarming of Lebanese militias has been done in the past, so why not again?" asked Feltman, referring to militias that were disbanded after the 1975-90 Lebanese civil war.
The declarations come amid heightened tension between the United States and Lebanon over Syria's perceived interference in its smaller neighbour's affairs.
UN Security Council Resolution 1559 passed in September called for Lebanon's independence to be respected, for Syria's estimated 15,000 troops to be withdrawn from the country and for the Hezbollah militia which controls much of southern Lebanon to be disarmed.
"The Lebanese army is a professional, able force that is capable of deploying throughout the country. ... One way for the Lebanon to assert its sovereignty is for the army to start deploying now in the south."
Feltman said he was very serious about seeing Resolution 1559 implemented and that: "We want the Syrian army to leave Lebanon."
He went on to say that links between Lebanon and Syria "should be based on diplomatic relations and not interference in Lebanese internal affairs".
The governments in Beirut and Damascus, as well as Hezbollah, have in the past accused the United States of interfering in Lebanon's affairs.
11/17/2004 20:13 GMT - AFP