U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden reinforced America's support for Lebanon's sovereign democracy on Friday ahead of key parliamentary elections that could see the country's pro-Western majority ousted by a coalition led by the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Speaking after a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman in Beirut, Biden said it was up to Lebanese voters to choose their own leaders, but the "enduring U.S. partnership" would depend on their commitment to "freedom."
Biden did not mention Hezbollah or its foreign backers by name, but issued a thinly veiled rebuke to the group while denying he or the United States was trying to influence the June 7 parliamentary vote.
"I urge those who would think about standing with the spoilers of peace not to miss this opportunity to walk away from the spoilers," he said.
Biden is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Lebanon in more than 25 years and the second in about a month from the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, following in the footsteps of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The attention underscores Washington's concerns about a possible win by Hezbollah, which the U.S. and Canada consider a terrorist group.
The White House said Biden's visit was meant "to reinforce the United States' support for an independent and sovereign Lebanon."
Hezbollah has accused the U.S. of interfering in the election in favour of pro-Western factions. The group said Friday that the visits by Biden and Clinton raised "strong suspicion and amounted to a clear and detailed interference in Lebanon's affairs."
With the election about two weeks away, this deepl
