Rice calls power-share pact with Hizbullah a necessary compromise

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday she welcomes a new power-sharing arrangement in Lebanon even though it increased the power of Hizbullah at the expense of US-backed moderates. "Obviously in any compromise there are compromises," Rice said during a surprise visit to meet Lebanon's new consensus choice for president. The election of former army chief, Michel Suleiman, last month is the clearest sign that Lebanon stepped back from the brink and that the deal with Iranian-backed Hizbullah is taking hold. "This was an agreement that I think served the interests of the Lebanese people," Rice said. "And since it served the interests of the Lebanese people, it served the interests of the United States. We support the democratically elected government of Lebanon." Rice pleased her hosts by announcing US backing for a new diplomatic push to resolve Lebanon's land dispute with Israel.