Lebanese President Emile Lahoud paid a visit Wednesday afternoon to the opening ceremony for the new water-pumping project at the Wazzani River in southern Lebanon. The ceremony was opened by parliament speaker Nabih Berri, and attended by the Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafic al Hariri and a European Commission delegation as well as representatives from the European Union and Russia.
Dozens of people gathered to watch the inauguration of the project. Many Lebanese villagers toured the pump site, accompanied by children waving Lebanese flags.
The United States boycotted the ceremony. "We chose not to send a representative in keeping with our position that unilateral action by either party undermines efforts to reach an understanding," a US diplomat told AFP.
"We very much want the dispute to be solved peacefully and fairly," the diplomat said Wednesday. "To that end we continue to work closely with the governments of Lebanon and Israel in conjunction with the UN, the EU and others," the diplomat added.
Israel's Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said Wednesday that Israel preferred to resolve the water dispute through diplomatic means, Army Radio reported. He added the dispute over the pump could escalate into regional conflict.
"This unilateral Lebanese action can bring about a serious escalation between Irael and Lebanon," Peres told the Israeli parliament. "I believe Lebanon doesn't want it, but I think Hizbullah does." (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
