The United States demand on Thursday Arab states think carefully about attending an Arab League summit scheduled for March 29-30 in Damascus, Syria, when political crisis in neighboring Lebanon is increasing.
"We're certainly never going to try to dictate who should attend one of these meetings," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
However, the spokesman noted that "In contemplating whether or not they attend a meeting in Syria, it certainly bears keeping in mind what Syria's role (has been) to this point in not allowing a Lebanese electoral process to move forward."
It was reported that Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmad Kaouk Arnous handed over Syria's invitation Thursday to resigned Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Saloukh to attend the Arab Summit.
Also on Thursday, a Syrian official delegation was reportedly to arrive in Beirut to deliver an invitation from Damascus to Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora to attend the upcoming summit.
Observers believed that Syria's move is to ease tensions with Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, which had hinted it might boycott the summit should Beirut be excluded.
Seniora and Lebanese ruling coalition have been on bad terms with Syria since the latter was accused of being involved in the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri in February 2005.
Damascus has denied its role in the killing of Hariri, but was forced to withdraw its forces from Lebanon following the assassination, ending decades-long military presence there.
Source:Xinhua
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