US-Saudi effort seeks to end Syrian influence in Lebanon

Washington: The United States and Saudi Arabia have launched a joint campaign to pressure Syria to end its political interference in Lebanon, including the US deployment of the USS Cole and two other warships off the Lebanese coast, according to US and Arab officials.

The new military, economic and diplomatic steps include the toughest actions taken by the Bush administration against the regime of President Bashar Al Assad, such as a recent presidential executive order allowing sanctions against Syrian officials meddling in Lebanon and a member of Bashar's family.

Saudi Arabia is withdrawing its ambassador from Damascus and pressed for an Arab League meeting, to be held next week, to discuss the political vacuum in Lebanon brought on by its inability to elect a new president, US officials said.

Envoy shifted to Doha

Ahmad Al Qah'tani, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Syria, was appointed to the post in Doha, a Qatari official told Gulf News recently. Al Qah'tani will arrive in Doha in a couple of days, the official added.

President Bush and King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz first discussed a joint effort on Syria during the president's trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in January. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal then discussed details at a White House meeting on February 15 attended by Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, according to US and Arab officials.

The proposal led to serious debate within the administration, which held back its plan from key European and Arab allies, the officials said.

"It's likely the Syrians will see this in the context of measures we are taking in order to discourage their unhelpful behaviour in Lebanon," said a senior administration official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive diplomacy.

Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Thursday that the USS Cole, a guided missile destroyer, and two other ships will remain in the eastern Mediterranean "for a while. ... It does signal that we're engaged, we're going to be in the vicinity and that's a very, very important part of the world".

Summoned

But Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said on Friday that his government had not requested a US naval presence off its coast, and summoned Ambassador Michele Sison to ask for clarification of US intentions.

The presence of the three warships has also sparked anger from Hezbollah and suspicions in the Lebanese media about US plans, even though the State Department said the ships are about 100km offshore - well beyond the 16km limit of Lebanese territorial waters.

"The American move threatens the stability of Lebanon and the region and is an attempt to spark tension," Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah member of parliament, told Reuters.

"The administration has used the policy of sending warships to support its allies in Lebanon before, and that experiment failed."

The deployment of US warships off the Lebanese coast dates to 1983, when Navy ships opened fire on Muslim militias. Retaliation included the suicide bombing of the Marine compound in Beirut and the death of 241 US military personnel, which eventually led to the Marines' withdrawal.

"US gunboat diplomacy in Lebanon did not, does not and will never work. If there is one way how not to help your allies, this is it," said Bilal Saab of the Brookings Institution's Saban Centre.

"The Syrian regime is playing for time, and reasons that a new administration will be forced to jettison the current policy of isolation," said Emile Al Hokayem of the Henry Stimson Centre, a defence think-tank.