Connelly Meets Aoun, Says U.S. 'Disturbed' by Deportation of 14 Syrians

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U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly on Thursday held a meeting with Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, during which she conveyed “the grave concern of the United States over recent assassination attempts in Lebanon” and said the U.S. was “deeply disturbed by the recent deportations of 14 Syrians.”

“The Ambassador and General Aoun discussed the political and security situation in Lebanon and the current situation in Syria,” said a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy after the talks.

“The Ambassador conveyed the grave concern of the United States over recent assassination attempts in Lebanon and urged full support for the investigations currently underway by the Lebanese security forces,” the statement added.

Addressing the issue of Lebanon’s deportation on Wednesday of 14 Syrian citizens to their strife-torn country, Connelly told Aoun that “the U.S. was deeply disturbed by the recent deportations of 14 Syrians.”

She stressed “the importance of protecting all Syrians, including dissenters and deserters, who have rejected violence, in keeping with Lebanon’s international humanitarian obligations.”

Lebanon’s General Directorate of General Security said that those deported were wanted for common law not political offences.

"These people were handed over to the Syrian authorities because they had problems with the judiciary and had committed crimes, and as far as we know they were not political activists," a General Security official said.

"If they were, we would not have deported them," he added.

Turning to the Syrian crisis and its repercussions on Lebanon, Connelly stressed that “the responsibility for the violence in Syrian and the violence that threatens to spill over from Syria fall squarely on the Assad regime.”

The ambassador hailed the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces for “their efforts to maintain calm in Lebanon,” and supported the government’s decision to increase the Lebanese army’s presence along the border with Syria.

The Ambassador also praised the Lebanese people for “their generosity in hosting Syrian refugees” and noted “the ongoing efforts of the Lebanese government, working with international partners and organizations, to provide humanitarian assistance to those refugees.”

In another statement issued later on Thursday, Connelly expressed her “grave concern at the continued shelling of Lebanese territory, including today’s incident deep in Lebanese territory, by Syrian regime forces.”

“The U.S. expects the Syrian regime to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon,” Connelly added.

SourceNaharnet
Comments 4
Thumb jadski over 11 years

The Lebanese People have stood by and suffered from the syrian control in Lebanon ... and Now ... the syrian people are suffering from the same cause ...
im not happy about it ... just pointing out a fact.

Thumb lebanon_first over 11 years

Stop being dismayed if we don't do what you want when you want, you get on your high horses. The problem is that you don't necessarily want what is good for lebanon, you want what YOU THINK is good. and interfere in those fringe issues like stl and syrian refugees, while not interfering in major issues like our maritime borders, helping lebanese army, and removing the chebaa excuse from HA.

Default-user-icon Muhamada (Guest) over 11 years

What about the long time deportation for the Lebanese US born children from Lebanese parents unconstitutionally from US as an anti-Lebanese policy full of jealousy for their success. Lebanon must deport Palestinian arm gangs, terrorists back to Israel where they came from and many other refugees who are threat to Lebanese national security, whether they are Syrian, Palestinian, Libyan, Iraqi's and others. Stop this political slavery by misreporting the media and long time help for the Arab regimes including their half brothers from different mother the Zionist.

Thumb fadi_albeiruti over 11 years

I guess even the ambassador needs some laughter every once in a while and who's a better comedian then the clown in the orange suite.