The United States is looking for an opportunity to exert new pressure to break the stalemate in Lebanon and de-escalate the conflict.

“It's clear that the Lebanese people have an interest, a very big interest, in consolidating their position in the country and taking responsibility for the country and its future,” Blinken told reporters in Laos on Friday. “The presidency has been vacant for two years. , and it will be very important for the Lebanese to have a head of state.

He said Lebanon's future is decided by its citizens, not anyone else, including any outside entity, whether the United States, Israel or many actors in the region.

The United States and other countries have been calling for an end to the political stalemate in Lebanon for years, to no avail. The country's power-sharing system has always been prone to deadlock. The United States blames the two-year presidential vacuum on the resistance of Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is considered a legal political party in Lebanon and has been part of its government for almost two decades, even though the United States has designated it a terrorist organization, Israel. and others

After former President Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022, Lebanon's deeply divided parliament met several times to elect a successor, each time ending in failure. Hezbollah supports Suleiman Frangieh, a Christian politician allied with the Shiite group.

The opposition has floated several names, but the man widely seen as Frangieh's main challenger, although he has not formally announced his candidacy, is Lebanese army commander Gen. Joseph Aoun, who is widely seen as close to the United States.

Meanwhile, growing political paralysis and a halt in efforts to address the devastating economic crisis have plunged three-quarters of the population into poverty.

But now U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the current Biden administration's thinking, say Israel may have a chance to move given the militant group's recent decline.

That view is not widely shared in Washington, with some officials arguing that Hezbollah has penetrated too far into Lebanon's political scene, its army and influence in civil and social services. Still, even skeptics are willing to try, officials say.

On the way home from Laos, Blinken spoke with Mikati and Berry to reiterate the importance of stabilizing the political crisis.

Blinken emphasized the United States' commitment to a diplomatic solution to implement the UN resolution allowing civilians on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border to return to their homes, as well as the need to fill the presidential vacancy in a democratic way that reflects the will of the Lebanese people. For a stable, prosperous and independent Lebanon, the State Department said in almost identical statements.

America's top diplomat expressed as much last week during talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Al Thani, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelati and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barot.

From these conversations it appears that there is a strong desire on the part of many countries concerned about Lebanon, but especially on the part of Lebanon itself, for the state to actually stand up, reaffirm its position and take responsibility for its lives. Citizens, Blinken said earlier in Laos.

He is expected to attend an international conference in Lebanon hosted by France later this month, U.S. officials said.

The UN resolution, the terms of which were never fully implemented, called for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon after a month-long war with Hezbollah in 2006, while the Lebanese army and UN peacekeeping forces would have the exclusive armed presence in the area.

Ed Gabriel, president of the American Task Force on Lebanon, a nonprofit organization working to strengthen U.S.-Lebanon relations, said the group had great respect for Aoun, the commander of the Lebanese army and the leadership of Lebanon's only fully functioning institution.

Gabriel said: “We do not believe that outside parties acting in Lebanon's interests should interfere with the country's sovereign right to elect its own president.” Members of Lebanon's parliament now have the opportunity to elect a clean, competent and reform-oriented president who will be able to form a government that can lead Lebanon to a dangerous but critical moment.