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| EU to work with any
Lebanon government: Solana BEIRUT - EU foreign policy supremo Javier Solana said on Wednesday that the Europeans will work with whatever government is formed in Lebanon following the June 7 general election. Asked during a visit to Beirut if the European Union is ready to deal with any parliamentary majority group after the vote, Solana said: "Yes, of course." The election could produce a majority for the Iran- and Syria-backed faction led by Shiite group Hezbollah, which backs armed struggle against Israel and is classed by the United States as a "terrorist organisation." Solana, who met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, also said Syria will cooperate with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. This was set up to try suspects over the Beirut bomb blast in February 2005 that killed former prime minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 other people, and which opens its doors in The Hague on Sunday. Asked if Syria has pledged to cooperate, he said: "Yes, yes, but let's see. The tribunal will be established this week and we will see how things go." Solana is on a regional tour before attending a conference in Egypt on Monday on the reconstruction of Gaza. Before then, he plans to visit Egypt, Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. |
