 Bush administration officials, barred from having direct contact with Hizbollah members who may join a new Lebanese government, have opened talks with one of the group's closest allies, administration officials said. A diplomatic source involved in the discussions described the role of Trad Hamadeh, a Lebanese government minister who is closely aligned with Hizbollah and has been meeting with senior US officials, as a new "channel of communications" between the US administration and Hizbollah. Hamadeh met as recently as this month with senior State Department officials who handle Middle East diplomacy, according to a Bush administration official. The official said the talks with Hamadeh dealt with reforms in Lebanon, not with Hizbollah, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States. |