The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Damascus

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Saturday the deployment of a US warship off the Lebanese coast was an attempt to undermine a solution to Lebanon's long-running presidential crisis.

"The presence of the warship off the coast of Lebanon shows that the United States is striving to undermine all political solutions in the Lebanese crisis," Muallem told reporters flanked by Arab League chief Amr Mussa.

Syria, which the US accuses of supporting terrorist groups, has long been accused of meddling in the politics of its southern neighbour.

Washington said on Thursday it had sent the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole to waters off Lebanon, amid concern over regional stability and Lebanon's protracted political crisis. It is "a show of support for regional stability" because of "concern about the situation in Lebanon", a US official said on condition of anonymity, declining to say whether the show of force was meant for Syria or Iran.