Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said on Monday that there were disputes between Lebanon and Washington over Hezbollah.
“They consider it a terrorist party, while we don’t,” he said during an interview with Russia Today.
“Nothing prevents Lebanese sides from dealing with Hezbollah since it is a Lebanese component,” he added.
Bassil, who is accompanying the president on an official visit to Moscow, told the television channel that Israel did not respect international principles, and the United States supported it nonetheless.
The foreign minister emphasized that Washington’s aid was unconditional, adding that any attempt to link this aid with an effort to settle the displaced or refugees would be rejected.
“Statements about Syrian refugees being tortured upon their return to Syria aim at preventing them from returning,” he stressed.
“I have asked the foreign ministers of major countries to provide us with serious information about these claims,” he said, adding that UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi "told me he had heard about some of the displaced people being harassed, but said he had nothing tangible."
