Kerry Offers Condolences to Suleiman, Reiterates U.S. Support for Army and State

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry offered condolences to President Michel Suleiman on Thursday for the victims of the Lebanese army who were killed in the Abra clashes, reiterating Washington's support for the military and the state.

Kerry praised in a phone call with Suleiman the army which proved to be the sole guarantor of stability and civil peace, a presidential statement said.

He praised the policy adopted by Suleiman to maintain internal stability.

The problematic issue of Syrian refugees was one of the issues tackled, taking into consideration the spiking number of refugees heading to Lebanon escaping the bloodshed in Syria, the statement said.

Kerry pointed to the necessity to offer special assistance in that regard, in light of the huge burden on the security, social and demographic levels, it said.

Discussions touched on the situation in the region mainly in Syria and the ongoing consultations regarding the Geneva 2 conference to discuss the possible solutions that satisfy both sides of the conflict in Syria, it added.

Eighteen soldiers were killed in two days of battles on Sunday when the Lebanese army clashed with radical Sunni cleric Ahmed al-Asir's armed supporters.