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US Stresses Palestinian-Israeli Peace Treaty Prior to Refugee Issue
US ambassador to Lebanon said January 5 that a Palestinian-Israeli peace treaty should be given more priority although his country understands Beirut's anxiety about the resettlement of Palestinian refugees on its soil, the National News Agency reported.
US ambassador David Sattelfield hoped that Palestinians and Israel can reach a deal "as soon as possible" while expressing his country's stance on the pending peace process during a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud Friday afternoon.
"The government of the United States is keen to see a satisfactory end of the (Palestinian) refugee problem. However, in the coming days, we and other sides will spare no efforts to reach an agreement between Palestine and Israel," Sattelfield told reporters after the meeting.
The ambassador also admitted that the problem of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon "is on the top of the whole refugee plan."
There are more than 360,000 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon. The Lebanese government has refused to resettle the refugees as it fears the permanent stay of Palestinians, most of them Muslims, will break the delicate sectarian balance between Christians and Muslims in the country.
The US official did not reveal whether the new government of President-elect George Bush will continue focusing on the Mideast peace process. He also refused to make any comment on the compromise peace plan presented by President Bill Clinton on December 23.
The US peace plan stipulates that Israel would transfer sovereignty over the Temple Mount to the Palestinians except for the Wailing Wall. In return, the Palestinians would give up the refugees' right of return.
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