".... Saad Hariri’s press office issued a statement in response to an article published by the As-Safir newspaper on Monday, terming some of its content as “inaccurate.”
The article claimed that Hariri urged US Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahoud to invest in infrastructure projects in Lebanon that are being carried out by Hariri-owned companies. Hariri met Lahoud in late May during a visit he paid to the US, where he also met US President Barack Obama and an array of US officials.
“This information is unfounded,” said the statement. ...
According to the article, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates informed Hariri that US military assistance to Lebanon depended on the latter’s position regarding a draft law to impose sanctions on Iran that would be put to a vote at the UN Security Council on June 11. Lebanon is currently a non-permanent member in the Security Council.
Gates also told Hariri that the US would not tolerate transferring Scuds to Hizbullah....
Concerning sanctions on Iran, Hariri told US officials he was in a “difficult position,” adding that voting in favor of the sanctions “is like committing political suicide that will affect my post as a premier.”
A US official told As-Safir the US would not mind if Lebanon abstained from voting on sanctions against Iran but would not tolerate voting against the decision....
Also, the As-Safir article said Defense Minister Elias Murr assured Commander of US Central Command David Petraeus the Lebanese Army would find the Scuds if there were any on Lebanese territories...."
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