Sec. Rice With Lebanese Saad Hariri Before Meeting

Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Washington, DC
October 4, 2007

Remarks with the Head of the Future Block in the Lebanese Parliament Saad Hariri Before Their Meeting

SECRETARY RICE: How are you?

MR. HARIRI: Good. Good. I'm hanging in there, trying to get things done in Lebanon.

SECRETARY RICE: Well, you know how supportive we are of the efforts that you're making. A democratic and sovereign Lebanon is not just in everybody's interest, it's everybody's obligation to help that come about. And so I look forward to talking with you about how we sustain that. The international community is very supportive of Lebanon's democracy and Lebanon's sovereignty. And I know it's been a very difficult time. A lot of people trying to intimidate Lebanon, but the international community is not going to stand for that. The United States won't stand for it.

MR. HARIRI: Thank you so much for the support that you have been giving to our army also -- and also to the Lebanese people that (inaudible) of members of parliament and (inaudible) issue for us and it is not stopping and it is also one thing I would like to talk to you about.

SECRETARY RICE: Yes. And I look forward to talking with you about how we make certain that the tribunal is accelerated, that the upcoming elections are within Lebanon's constitutional framework, and without foreign interference. And so I look forward to those discussions and - let's get busy now.

QUESTION: Madame Secretary is Lebanon going to be invited to the international meetings?

SECRETARY RICE: As I said, the international meeting -- it would be natural for the members of the Arab League Follow-Up Committee to be at that meeting. We haven't made any invitations, but when I look, I believe Lebanon is a member of that committee.

QUESTION: Secretary, how about the elections in Lebanon, how important it is that the next president will uphold for UN resolutions 1559 and 1701?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, since Lebanon is a law-abiding country, I would expect that any Lebanese Government would uphold UN Security Council resolutions that are the obligation of any member of the international -- of the UN and Lebanon is a member of the UN. Thank you.

ENDS

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