Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday the US continues to pay close attention to the situation in Lebanon, where fighting has raged between government forces and Islamic guerillas for four days.
"We continue to follow the situation in Lebanon very closely. The Lebanese government is very much trying to do the right thing here to protect its population against extremists that would sow discord and instability there," Rice said at a press conference at the offices of computer giant Hewlett Packard.
Rice, who was accompanying Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer on a visit to California's Silicon Valley, said that "the world is speaking out in favor of the Lebanese government."
"I certainly hope the Lebanese government will be able to deal with these extremists. It is just another example of extremists in the Middle East who are trying to destabilize a democratic government."
