U.S. Ambassador to Beirut Vincent Battle said in an interview marking the end of his service Monday that time had come for Lebanon to "exercise its sovereignty on the ground of its own interests." Additionally, he called on Hizbullah to "stop act as terrorist."
"The time has come for Lebanon to do so," Battle told the Beirut-based An Nahar newspaper. He added that "the time has come for the Syrian military to withdraw from Lebanon."
According to An Nahar, the outgoing American envoy conveyed the United States strongly believes that the Lebanese army should take control of the entire border area with Israel from Hizbullah.
"Israel has withdrawn from south Lebanon and the United Nations has acknowledged that the withdrawal is legitimate," Battle said. "The Lebanese army should deploy throughout the south to take over the region's security. This is the role of the army, not any other irregular player as Hizbullah." (albawaba.com)
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