Syria meddling in Lebanese polls

BEIRUT, Lebanon, May 13 (UPI) -- Syrian intelligence officers are visiting with Lebanese nationals in an effort to interfere with the June parliamentary elections, leaders said.

Samir Geagea, a leader of the right-wing Lebanese Forces Party, accused Syrian intelligence officials of swaying Lebanese nationals living in Syria in an effort to influence the June vote, the Lebanese news outlet Naharnet reports.

Two American officials -- Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and National Security Council Senior Director Daniel Shapiro -- pressed the issue of the Lebanese parliamentary elections in June as a test for the Syrian commitment of non-intervention following years of heavy-handed tactics in Beirut.

Geagea, whose party is a member of the pro-Western March 14 coalition, said the intelligence claims highlights "the extent of interferences in the polls given their importance."

Lebanon holds parliamentary elections June 7. The March 8 coalition, which includes lawmakers with the Lebanese Hezbollah, is expected to take a slim majority over the March 14 slate.