WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- A top U.S. official travels to Lebanon this week to continue meetings with that government following the slaying last week of former premier Rafik Hariri.
David Satterfield, deputy assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, will be in Beirut later this week for meetings with Lebanese officials, a senior U.S. State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.
Satterfield will continue talks started last week by William Burns, the assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, when he attended Hariri's funeral.
Hariri was a staunch opponent of the Syrian military presence in the country and since his death the United States and France have demanded Syrian troops leave.
Satterfield's discussions are likely to focus on that and other issues, including the investigation into Hariri's death.
