Obama Backs Hariri
AFP reports:
US President Barack Obama threw his full support behind embattled Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday as Hezbollah toppled his unity government during a White House visit.
Minutes after Obama and Hariri posed for photographers in the Oval Office, the Shiite militant group and its allies resigned from the cabinet over a UN probe into the assassination of Hariri's father, the former premier.
A White House statement released after their talks said the actions by Hezbollah "only demonstrate their own fear and determination to block the government?s ability to conduct its business and advance the aspirations of all of the Lebanese people."
According to unconfirmed press reports, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is poised to indict senior Hezbollah members in connection with Rafiq Hariri's 2005 assassination, a scenario the militant party vehemently rejects.
Obama commended Hariri "for his steadfast leadership and efforts to reach peace, stability, and consensus in Lebanon under difficult circumstances.
