U.S. Congressional Delegation Meets Suleiman

A congressional delegation arrived in Lebanon on Friday where it held talks with a number of officials including President Michel Suleiman, said the U.S. Embassy in a statement.

It traveled to Lebanon as part of a broader Middle East mission and a continuation of the partnership between the U.S. Congress and the Lebanese parliament, it stated.

Representative David Dreier of California led the delegation as Chairman of the House Democracy Partnership (HDP), a group that works directly with the legislatures in 13 countries around the globe, helping to build democratic institutions, it added.

The delegation also met with Minister of Economy Nicolas Nahhas and Minister of Education Hassan Diab.

It also held talks with majority and opposition deputies and discussed institutional development issues facing the Lebanese parliament, continued the embassy statement.

This is the fourth HDP delegation to visit Lebanon since the program was launched in 2006.

Chairman Dreier was accompanied by House Democracy Partnership members Representative David Price of California, Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Representative Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, and Representative Jim McDermott of Washington.