Mashnouq, Gemayel to Hold Separate Visits to U.S. in March

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq is scheduled to travel to the United States later in March where he set to meet with a number of officials, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday.

The agenda of his trip is not complete yet, but the details of it were discussed during a meeting the minister held on Friday with U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale.

Prior to heading to Washington, said al-Joumhouria, Mashnouq is set to head to Algeria on Monday to take part in the conference for Arab interior ministers.

He is scheduled to address security plans Lebanese authorities are expected to implement in Beirut and its southern suburb of Dahiyeh, as well as other regions.

Meanwhile, head of the Kataeb party Amin Gemayel is also set to travel to Washington at the invitation one of its strategic centers to attend a meeting on Middle Eastern affairs and their impact on Lebanon, revealed western diplomatic sources to al-Joumhouria.

The meeting will also examine the impact of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon and other nearby countries.

The dates of Mashnouq and Gemayel's separate visits to Washington have not been disclosed.

M.T.