Kerry urges reconciliation in Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon --Sen. John Kerry, on a visit to Lebanon Monday, called for moving away from "the ideologies of extremism" and urged political reconciliation among rival factions to resolve the country's deepening political crisis.

Kerry and Senator Christopher Dodd met Monday with anti-Syrian Lebanese leaders as well as an ally of the militant group Hezbollah to discuss the crisis a day before the pair head to neighboring Syria.

U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who is facing large street protests by the Hezbollah-led opposition to demand his resignation, briefed the Democratic lawmakers on his government's efforts to deal with the crisis, the National News Agency reported.

The senators also met Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally. But no details of their talks were disclosed.

"We are very, very admiring of the courage of those political leaders who are looking for reconciliation," Kerry told reporters after meeting Defense Minister Elias Murr. In an apparent reference to Hezbollah and its allies, he urged the parties to distance themselves from "the ideologies of extremism" to help promote a political solution.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah and its Syrian-backed allies warned Monday they would step up their anti-government protests if mediation by the Arab League fails to meet the opposition's demand for a national unity government that would give them effective veto powers.

Kerry, a Massachusetts senator and critic of the Bush's administration Iraq policies, arrived in Lebanon after visits to Egypt, Jordan and Iraq. Dodd, a Connecticut senator who is considering a run for president in 2008, also was in Iraq -- his third trip there since the war began.

The two are due to visit Syria Tuesday for talks with President Bashar Assad. The White House has criticized trips to Syria by U.S. lawmakers as "inappropriate," saying they give Damascus a public relations victory.