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April 1, 2012 Special Dispatch No. 4624

Lebanon Intensifies Its Anti-U.S., Pro-Syrian Stance

April 1, 2012
Syria, Lebanon | Special Dispatch No. 4624

Lebanon-U.S. relations are currently strained due to Lebanon's position on the Syrian crisis, and especially due to its acquiescence to Syria's unauthorized incursions into its territory in pursuit of soldiers of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). A March 6, 2012 statement issued by the American embassy in Beirut said that, in a meeting with Lebanese Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly called on the Lebanese government to "protect all unarmed Syrians, including members of the FSA," and expressed her country’s concern over "the disappearance and kidnappings of Syrian nationals in Lebanon."[1]

According to a report published one week later in the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, Connelly presented Charbel with a personal letter from U.S. President Barack Obama, in which the president rebuked the Lebanese government for extraditing Syrian oppositionists who had fled to Lebanon and for allowing the Syrian regime to abduct Syrian oppositionists on Lebanese soil. The letter also expresses concern that Hizbullah might prevent the Lebanese government from granting shelter to Syrian refugees. The daily concluded from this that the U.S. expects Lebanon to become involved in a military confrontation with the Syrian army on its northern border, and to support the Syrian opposition.[2]

According to another Al-Akhbar report, Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon 'Ali 'Abd Al-Karim 'Ali demanded that Lebanon extradite FSA members, even unarmed ones, because Syria regards them as defectors.[3]

Caught between the Syrian and the American demands, the Lebanese government chose to honor the former, while expressing displeasure over America's intervention in its affairs. One day after the Connelly-Charbel meeting, and immediately following a meeting between Connelly and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Miqati, the Lebanese government issued a statement in which it "reminded diplomats working [in Lebanon] of their duty to honor the Vienna Convention [on Diplomatic Relations] and the state's institutions and laws... in order to avoid any infraction that might affect Lebanon's relations with any other party..."[4] (the statement did not mention the U.S. by name). On March 14, 2012, the Lebanese parliaments' foreign affairs committee issued a similar statement.[5]

Maronite Patriarch Beshara Al-Ra'i, who supports the Syrian regime, Hizbullah, and the March 8 Forces, said similarly: "Lebanon does not need anyone's [help] in making decisions. It knows how to bear responsibility [for its own affairs] and knows who to consult. We are an independent, free and sovereign country, and the government makes decisions according to the needs of the state."[6]

Lebanese Foreign Minister 'Adnan Mansour, a member of Parliament Speaker Nabih Beri's party, which belongs to the March 8 Forces, referred explicitly to the American demands, saying: "Lebanon is not [a country] of whom one can make demands. It acts according to its interests, its security situation, and the options it has... We cannot possibly support the presence of armed soldiers on Lebanese soil. We do not want an Ashraf base[7] in Lebanon, or to create a security problem in [our country]."[8]

Hizbullah, which, like Syria, has considerable influence in the Lebanese government, was likewise infuriated by the U.S. demands. Hizbullah Executive Council deputy president Nabil Qaouq said: "American officers at the [U.S.] embassy [in Beirut] are directing the arming [of the Syrian rebels], their operations against the Syrian [regime], and their infiltration [into Syria]. The U.S. embassy in Lebanon is a nest of spies and a military war room [directing the fight] against Syria."[9]

The Lebanese daily Al-Bina cited diplomatic sources in Beirut as saying, in a similar vein, that "U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly directly oversees the embassy war room, and organizes the smuggling of arms and the infiltration of militants into Syria... Similar activity is taking place at U.S. embassies in other countries bordering Syria, especially in Turkey and Jordan... This activity takes place in steady and direct coordination with the Turkish, French, Saudi and Qatari intelligence services."[10] It should be noted that this report was quoted on the following day in the Lebanese government daily Al-Watan.[11]

Endnotes:

[1] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), March 7, 2012.

[2] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), March 15, 2012.

[3] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), March 10, 2012.

[4] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), March 8, 2012.

[5] Al-Safir (Lebanon), March 15, 2012.

[6] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), March 9, 2012. For more on the patriarch's views, see MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 763, "The Miqati Government in Lebanon – Continued Subjugation to the Syrian Patron," November 23, 2011, The Miqati Government in Lebanon – Continued Subjugation to the Syrian Patron.

[7] A base of Iranian oppositionists in Iraq.

[8] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), March 8, 2012.

[9] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), March 12, 2012.

[10] Al-Bina (Lebanon), March 13, 2012.

[11] Al-Watan (Lebanon), March 14, 2012.

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