    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [January 29, 2007]
    [Page 74]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Situation in Lebanon
    January 29, 2007

        I am deeply disappointed by the recent violence and bloodshed on the
    streets of Lebanon. It is all the more troubling that the violence
    occurred while Lebanon's legitimate leaders and friends were gathered
    together in Paris to help secure a peaceful and prosperous future for
    the country. Lebanon's friends have pledged a total of $7.6 billion at
    the International Conference on Support for Lebanon. I will ask Congress
    for $770 million to contribute to this cause. With this pledge, total
    U.S. support for Lebanon since last summer's conflict, including the
    $230 million pledged at the Stockholm Conference last August, will equal
    approximately $1 billion. This is a strong symbol of the American
    people's support for and commitment to the future of Lebanon.
        All those who seek a peaceful, constitutional solution to the crisis
    in Lebanon deserve the support of the international community, but those
    responsible for creating chaos must be called to account. While
    Lebanon's friends seek to help the Lebanese Government build a free,
    sovereign, and prosperous country, Syria, Iran, and Hizballah are
    working to destabilize Lebanese society. Their goals are clear: They
    foment violence in order to prevent the establishment of a special
    tribunal in response to former Prime Minister Hariri's assassination, to
    prevent full implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions calling
    for Hizballah's disarmament, and to bring down Lebanon's democratically
    elected Government, in violation of its Constitution. The United States
    will continue to support Lebanon's Government as it seeks a peaceful and
    prosperous future for all the people of Lebanon.