WASHINGTON, Nov 22 (KUNA) -- Lebanese MP, General Michel Aoun, said on Tuesday he supports the disarmament of Hizbollah. Aoun, a formerly exiled Lebanese Christian militia leader who recently returned to his country after Syria's withdrawal this year, made the remarks at a news conference one day after Hizbollah fighters clashed with Israeli soldiers on the uneasy border between Israel and southern Lebanon, where Hizbollah remains largely supported by the majority Shiite Lebanese there.| Aoun invested in a remote car starter a long time ago, right? |
| That's his brother-inlaw, Nervous Bob |
Aoun, who is on a week-long visit to Washington, said he met with members of Congress and US officials at the State Department and National Security Council (NSC) at the White House to "exchange ideas" on issues of interest pertaining to Lebanon and the Middle East. Aoun did not meet with any high level US officials such as the president or Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during his visit, which may be a sign of US apprehension to publicly show too much support for any one politician seeking a higher political post. Although Aoun was invited to the US to speak before Congress in 2003 when tension was swelling in US-Syrian relations, he said that this time he returned to the US with gratitude for sponsoring crucial UN resolutions that have mounted international pressure on Syria.
Aoun accused the current Lebanese government, still viewed by many as pro-Syrian, of not doing enough to push for true reform or curb the "rampant buying of votes." Despite his skepticism of continued Syrian involvement in Lebanon, Aoun said that relations with Syria could never be severed because of common rights to water, shared borders, economic interests and transit routes. He said he supports an exchange of embassies with Syria and wants to see a Lebanese embassy in Damascus as well as a Syrian embassy in Beirut.