US: Lebanese ambassador sent home
In CNN interview, Farid Abboud supports Hizbullah's stance, which contradicts Lebanese government's official stance. Lebanese PM enraged by remarks, orders ambassador to return home
In the controversial CNN interview, Ambassador Abboud said: "We did not declare war. It was declared against us when our country was occupied by the Israelis, with prisoners taken from Lebanon into Israel, and with Palestinian prisoners pushed into Lebanon's territory. We did not occupy Israel and we did not declare war on it."
"At this stage any solution must be negotiations on Israel's withdrawal from the occupied Lebanese territories and a release of the Lebanese prisoners. We have our prisoners. They have prisoners. An exchange would be appropriate, and I think it will resolve the problem," Abboud added.
'Lebanese government has nothing to do with Hizbullah'
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was enraged by the remarks and rushed to call Abboud to return back home, claiming that his remarks express the stance of the Hizbullah organization, which contradict the Lebanese government's official stance. A statement issued by the Lebanese government said that the government in Beirut had nothing to do with Hizbullah's activities on the border.
Following the events on the northern border, the US ambassador to Beirut and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice demanded that the Lebanese prime minister control the situation and work to release the kidnapped Israeli soldiers.
In the meantime, it appears that Ambassador Abboud will not return to work in Washington. According to estimates, the Americans will not be interested in cooperating with an ambassador who publicly supports the activities of Hizbullah, which is considered a terror organization by the American law.
