Berri takes swipe at US policy in Mideast

Source: Al-Manar TV, 25-05-2008
Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri took a swipe at the United States on Sunday following the election of a new president, saying that Lebanon was not a playground for Washington's policy in the region.
Berri thanked various countries, including Russia, France, Italy, Spain as well as the Arab League for their help in bringing an end to the long-running crisis between the Lebanese rivals.
But he singled out Washington saying: "I thank the United States nonetheless, seeing that it seems to have been convinced that Lebanon is not the appropriate place for its plan for the greater Middle East region. "This plan in our opinion has no proper place for the birth pangs or the birth of a new Middle East," he added.
He was referring to comments made by US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, who described the plight of Lebanon during
'Israeli' aggression against Lebanon in July 2006 as part of the "birth pangs of a new Middle East".