Elie Hourani
Daily Star staff

James Abourezk, a former US senator of Lebanese origin, met with top leaders here Thursday, calling for a radical change in Washington’s policies toward the country and the resistance.
The former North Dakota Senator paid separate visits to President Emile Lahoud, Speaker Nabih Berri, Premier Rafik Hariri and Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Hammoud, Abourezk said that members of the US delegation he is leading were able to “learn the viewpoints of the Lebanese government” on major issues.
Abourezk was briefed by officials on the Shebaa Farms and called on Israel to abide by UN resolutions calling on the Jewish state to withdraw its forces from Lebanese land.
He denied having transmitted any message to the Lebanese side about the proposed international conference to discuss a Middle East peace plan.
“We have discussed the Shebaa Farms, which I visited yesterday,” Abourezk said of his visit with Hammoud.
From Ain al-Tineh, where he conferred with Berri, Abourezk told reporters that discussions centered on “US policies, which were not encouraging with regard to Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories.”
Abourezk said that his discussions with the speaker had also focused on Hizbullah “and the positive role” it was playing in Lebanon.
“(Hizbullah) was like the tool that forced the Israelis to withdraw,” the former senator said.
Following his meeting with Hariri, Abourezk told reporters that his discussions with the premier focused on US policies toward Lebanon and the Middle East.

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