US's Feltman ends visit to Lebanon

The US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, on Thursday ended his three day visit to Lebanon after meeting the country's political leaders to discuss political, economic and security conditions in Lebanon, as well as the developments of the Syrian crisis and other regional issues. A statement by the US official said the visit renewed Washington's "commitment to a stable, sovereign and independent Lebanon". "Feltman expressed the United States’ steadfast support for pluralistic and democratic governments in the region that protect the rights of all citizens, including ethnic and religious minorities," the statement added. For his part, Kataeb party leader Amin Gemayel praised Feltman’s visit, saying such trips confirmed that Lebanon was at the centre of diplomatic activity in the region. Speaking after meeting Feltman at the Kataeb headquarters in Saifi, Gemayel called on the "big powers" to find a quick solution to the Syrian crisis through the United Nations and the revival of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s mission in Syria. "Lebanon's stance vis-a-vis the developments in Syria must be clear, in terms of compassion towards those seeking freedom, sovereignty and independence without any interference whatsoever in Syria's affairs," Gemayel added. Gemayel critisised MP Michel Aoun's comments in which he offended president Suleiman, saying Aoun's criticism is not justified as the main political responsibility in the country lies on the cabinet's shoulders and not the president, so any criticism has to be directed at the cabinet in which Aoun's party is a main partner.