BERLIN: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Wednesday that the sharp increase in US military aid to Lebanon could "destabilize" the country. "We have always assumed that it is necessary for international agreements to be adhered to. We also know it is necessary to prevent the shipment of arms which might serve to destabilize the situation," he said after a meeting in Berlin of the international "Quartet" for Middle East peace. "Those who send arms know very well which actions could be destabilizing or not."
The United States sent several plane loads of military aid to Lebanon last week, including ammunition and other equipment, to help the Lebanese Army fight Fatah al-Islam militants in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp.
Lavrov's comments came after an earlier confrontation with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was representing Washington at the Quartet meeting. At a gathering of foreign ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) club of nations in nearby Potsdam, Moscow and Washington had been at odds over Kosovo and US plans to deploy a missile shield in Europe.
Rice told reporters the US was complying with Resolution 1701, which calls for reinforcing the Lebanese Army.
"This is not a matter of interfering in Lebanese affairs," Rice emphasized. "It is to help Lebanon be able to defend its own sovereignty.
"The United States is not the only country that is helping equip the Lebanese Army, which needs to have the modern capability to defend its sovereignty and defend its state. That is the only purpose of this [military aid]."
The US Congress approved a 2007 budget which includes $280 million in military aid to Lebanon, seven times more than the $40 million unblocked in 2006.
Initially, the administration of US President George W. Bush had asked for $5 million in aid, but the sum was dramatically increased after the 2006 summer war with Israel, with Rice requesting a total of $769.5 million for Lebanon.
Source : The Daily Star