US embassy urges Lebanon after election to keep policy of staying out of foreign conflicts

The US embassy in Beirut urged on Tuesday all parties in Lebanon to uphold the country’s policy of disassociation from foreign conflicts, Reuters reports. Lebanon will be forming a new government after parliamentary elections on Sunday. “We urge all parties to uphold Lebanon’s international obligations, including those contained in UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701,” the diplomats said in a statement. The resolutions relate to the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon and the disarmament of all militias including Hezbollah. Parties allied with the heavily armed Shiite Hezbollah group, which has previously fought wars with Israel, won more than half the seats in the election.