Hariri, U.S ambassador discuss visit to Washington

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri discussed Thursday with U.S ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison preparations for his upcoming visit to Washington.

The prime minister's office said in a statement that Hariri discussed with Sison bilateral relations as well as preparations for his upcoming visit to Washington.

White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs announced Wednesday that U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Hariri on May 24.

Local As Safir daily quoted on Tuesday well informed sources as saying that Hariri's visit to Washington will focus on discussing Hezbollah's arms, particularly reports suggesting that Syria has transferred Scud missiles to the Lebanese Shiite armed group.

The newspaper also quoted Hariri as saying that he supports Hezbollah's attempts to rearm, including to receive Scud missiles to face Israeli attacks and defend Lebanon's sovereignty.

Hariri recently compared Scud transfer allegations with U.S. allegations that former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction, which turned out to be false.

Hezbollah, who fought a devastating war against Israel in 2006, is the only Lebanese faction which kept its heavy arms under the pretext of resisting Israel. They have vowed to keep their arms as long as Israel poses a threat in the region.

Source:Xinhua