Hillary calls for free and fair elections in Lebanon

BEIRUT (AFP) - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Sunday called for free and fair elections in Lebanon during
a visit to Beirut ahead of a parliamentary vote that could see Hezbollah and its allies emerge victorious.
I (came) to express our support and President Obamas support for the people of Lebanon, for a free
independent and sovereign Lebanon and for elections that will be free of any intimidation and outside
interference, she told reporters after meeting with President Michel Sleiman during her previously unannounced
visit.
She refused to speculate on the outcome of the June 7 vote that will pit the current Western-backed majority in
parliament against an alliance led by Hezbollah and backed by Syria and Iran.
I am not going to speculate on the outcome of your election .... but we certainly hope that (it) will be free of
intimidation and outside interference and that the results ... will continue a moderate positive direction that will
benefit all the people of Lebanon, she said. If Hezbollah wins, we will have to look at the composition of the
government, and particularly at the programme, to evaluate ... what we are going to do in Lebanon, a senior
State Department official travelling with Hillary told AFP.
Hezbollah officials say they have received assurances that the West does not envisage imposing the same sort
of boycott as it slapped on the Palestinians when a Hamas-led government took power in March 2006.
The ambassador of a key European country... informed us that the US will deal with any government, even
though they are hoping the (Western-backed parliamentary) majority wins the vote, Hezbollah deputy leader
Naim Qassem told AFP earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton pledged that the current rapprochement between the United States and Syria would
not come at the expense of Lebanon.
There is nothing that we would do in any way that would undermine Lebanons sovereignty, Hillary told a press
conference after meeting Lebanese President Michel Sleiman.
So I want to reassure any Lebanese citizen that the United States will never make any deal with Syria that sells
out Lebanon or the Lebanese people.
Hillary said she was heartened by the recent establishment of diplomatic ties between Beirut and Damascus
for the first time since their independence 60 years ago.
Syria pulled its troops out of Lebanon in April 2005 ending almost 30 years of political and military domination.