Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Lebanon MP wants U.S. ambassador expelled

|
|
 
  
Published: Oct. 6, 2011 at 10:40 AM
Advertisement

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A member of Parliament in Beirut said Thursday he has urged Prime Minister Najib Mikati to expel the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon.

Assem Qanso's request comes days after the ambassador, Maura Connelly, had emphasized the need for the Lebanese army to protect members of the Syrian opposition and refugees living in Lebanon, The Daily Star in Beirut reported.

Qanso, the former head of the Baath party in Lebanon, called for Connelly's expulsion after meeting with Mikati and a delegation of deputies from Baalbek.

In a statement issued Tuesday after Connelly met with Lebanese Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn, the U.S. Embassy said, "Ambassador Connelly emphasized the importance the United States places on the Lebanese armed forces' role in protecting members of the Syrian opposition residing in Lebanon, as one of Lebanon's international legal obligations that also include support and funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon."

Under President Bashar Assad Syria has violently cracked down on protesters in the past seven months, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Lebanon has maintained a neutral policy on the protests in Syria and abstained from a recent vote on a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Syria and hinted it could face sanctions if it continues its crackdown on protesters.

The resolution was vetoed by China and Russia.

Topics: Najib Mikati
Recommended Stories
© 2011 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Protesters, police clash at NATO summit Notable deaths of 2012 2012 Billboard Music Awards
The 137th Preakness Stakes Annual Solar eclipse occurs in U.S. Chen Guangcheng arrives in the U.S.
Additional Business News Stories
1 of 29
FORT LAUDERDALE HOSTS FLEET WEEK
View Caption
Crew members of the USS Kearsarge, Bryane Ingram, Timothy Williams, Curtilious Ingram and Yosuf Hill (l to r) prepare for shore leave shortly after docking at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on April 30, 2007. The Kearsarge and her crew will participate in Fleet Week USA as part of the McDonalds Air and Sea Show. (UPI Photo/Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell)
fark
First female skipper in British Navy's 500-year history takes charge of warship, immediately gets...
Kids confusing detergent packs for candy ending up sick even quicker, yet have the whitest whites...
Legoland Florida sets Guinness world record for Dumbest Stunt Performed at a Theme Park Modeled...
Not really news: Woman kicked off plane. Fark: For wearing a T-shirt that said, "If I wanted the...
Mortician finds gunshot wound to the chest of a man that had been ruled to have died of natural...
Left babysitting 4-year-old while her mom, friend go to gym? Just tie her up in kitchen chair and...