DEAD SEA (Jordan) May 20: The United States said on Friday Syria must pull out all its intelligence agents from Lebanon, and accused Iran of funnelling “millions of dollars per month” to Hizbollah guerillas.
“Pulling out military forces is not enough. You have to pull out all your intelligence agents,” US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick told reporters during a World Economic Forum regional meeting in Jordan. Syria last month pulled its troops from Lebanon.
But Scott Carpenter, deputy assistant secretary of state, said Syria was still meddling in Lebanon despite the pullout.
“We still remain deeply concerned about the level of interference and continued manipulation (by Syria) on the part of the security and intelligence services within Lebanon,” Mr Carpenter said. “We will continue, as the international community, to put pressure to make sure those connections are also withdrawn or suspended,” he said.—Reuters
