US praises Lebanese resilience in face of crises

PARIS, June 26 (Reuters) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora today and praised him for his resilience in tackling Lebanon's many problems, a State Department official said.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Rice had underscored US support for Siniora's administration in its political and economic reform efforts.

McCormack quoted Rice as saying: ''It was remarkable how well the Lebanese people and Prime Minister Siniora were standing up to the many challenges facing Lebanon.'' Siniora was in Paris to meet new French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Rice came to France for a meeting on the crisis in Darfur and is due to return to Washington later today.

''She emphasised our continued support as the (Lebanese) government confronts the threat posed by violent extremism,'' McCormack said.

Lebanon is mired in a political crisis that pits Siniora's Western-backed government against opponents led by the pro-Syrian Shi'ite Hezbollah and Amal factions.

Recent fighting between the army and al Qaeda-inspired militants in north Lebanon has complicated the crisis, sparking the worst outbreak of internal violence in the country since the end of its civil war 17 years ago.

REUTERS AK HS1448