Pompeo discusses Hezbollah with Lebanese officials

BEIRUT, March 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that the U.S. will continue to use all peaceful means to deter Hezbollah and Iran's influence in the region, local TV Channel OTV reported.

"Hezbollah is stockpiling its rockets in Lebanon to use them against Israel. It is working under the authority of Iran, while Iran believes that Lebanon's stability threatens its dominance in the region," Pompeo said during a joint press conference with Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.

The press conference was held on the occasion of a two-day visit for Pompeo to Lebanon to meet with Lebanese officials and discuss matters of interest to both countries.

Pompeo said that Iran's support for Hezbollah is causing harm to Lebanon while it is limiting the chances of peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

For his part, Bassil argued that Hezbollah was a Lebanese party and it should not be labeled as "terrorist" because it was elected by the Lebanese people.

"Listing Hezbollah as a terrorist group by the U.S. is none of Lebanon's business. We are keen to maintain our national unity while we are also eager to keep good ties with the U.S. We do not want our relations with the U.S. to be harmed," Bassil said.

Bassil said that the two sides should work on finding a solution on how to look at Hezbollah and how to deal with it.

"It is our right to protect our territories against any aggression or occupation," he added.

The two officials also discussed the Syrian refugees crisis. Bassil emphasized the need to help refugees' return to their homeland to alleviate the burdens off Lebanon.

Pompeo reiterated Bassil's remarks, saying that the U.S. supports a fast return of Syrian refugees to their country.

They also negotiated the need to demarcate Lebanon's maritime borders with Israel.

Lebanon has an unresolved maritime border with Israel that involves a triangular sea area of about 860 square km extending along the edge of three of its 10 offshore energy blocks.

The U.S. top diplomat arrived in Lebanon on Friday and headed directly to meet Interior Minister Raya Haffar El Hassan as the two discussed internal security challenges facing Lebanon.

Pompeo also met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri before his meeting with President Michel Aoun at the Baabda presidential palace.