Lebanese PM to lobby Pres. Bush on Israeli withdrawal from Shaba

BEIRUT - Lebanon's prime minister said yesterday that he would be asking U.S. President George Bush to put pressure on Israel to pull out of a border strip and thus enable his government to extend its authority over all Lebanese land. Fouad Siniora, a member of Lebanon's anti-Syrian majority coalition, will meet Bush in Washington on Tuesday.

"We would expect the United States to extend its real support to Lebanon and this would help Lebanon to re-emphasize and reconfirm its sovereignty and its independence," Siniora said in an interview at his office in central Beirut.

"This would allow the government to maintain its role in the region as a beacon of democracy."

Lebanon says the Israeli-occupied border area of Shaba Farms is Lebanese territory and Israel's 2000 pullout from south Lebanon was incomplete. Israel and the United Nations say the area is Syrian.

"I'm going to present to President Bush our case... Israel has to withdraw from the Shaba Farms and has to stop violating our airspace and water," Siniora said.

This was essential if the Lebanese government was "to become the sole monopoly of holding weapons in the country" and would help Lebanese reach a consensus on how to defend their country, he added.

"Very important as well is to seek the support of President Bush so that Lebanon will not become in any way a ball in the courtyard of others or... a courtyard for the confrontations of others in the region," Siniora said.

Lebanon's rival leaders are engaged in a "national dialogue" aimed at resolving the country's political crisis, the worst since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. One key issue is the disarming of Hezbollah, which is supported by Syria and Iran. The Shi'ite Muslim group says its weapons are still required to liberate Shaba Farms and to defend Lebanon against any Israeli threats.