Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, April 15, 2002
Powell Arrives in Lebanon on Peace Mission
Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Beirut Monday for talks with Lebanese leaders on Hizbollah attacks against Israel that have fanned fears of a widening of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Beirut Monday for talks with Lebanese leaders on Hizbollah attacks against Israel that have fanned fears of a widening of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Powell, who flew in from Israel, was due to hold talks with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, before visiting Syria, Lebanon's political master and Hizbollah's main backer.
Lebanese soldiers fanned out along the roads leading to Powell's meeting sites, providing tight security.
He is expected to return to Israel Monday evening to resume a mission to try and broker a cease-fire to 18 months of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Hizbollah guerrillas have launched almost daily attacks on Israeli posts in a disputed zone near the Israel-Lebanon border during the Israeli West Bank offensive, sparking fears they are trying to open a second front with the Jewish state.
Israel has threatened Syria with retaliation for Hizbollah attacks, and Powell -- during a tour of northern Israel on Friday which coincided with a Hizbollah raid -- has warned the cross-border attacks could spark a wider Middle East conflict.