[ AP] Anne Gearan - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday she welcomes a new power-sharing arrangement in Lebanon even though it increased the power of Hizbullah at the expense of U.S.-backed moderates. Rice's blessing, during a surprise visit to meet Lebanon's new president, former Army chief Michel Suleiman, is a sign that the Bush administration has accepted that Western-backed democratic leaders who helped Lebanon throw off three decades of Syrian domination could not govern the country alone. Rice also said, "The time has come to deal with the Shebaa Farms issue," referring to a patch of land under Israel?s control and claimed by Lebanon.
2008-06-17 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive