U.S. Ambassador-designate Vows to Consolidate Partnership with Lebanon, Slams Hizbullah

U.S. Ambassador-designate Elizabeth Richard has vowed to strengthen Washington's partnership with Beirut and the army while pledging to limit Hizbullah's role by helping Lebanese authorities exercise full sovereignty throughout the country.

“Respect for religious freedom and confessional tolerance lie at the very core of Lebanese identity. We must do all we can to help Lebanon continue to uphold these principles,” Richard told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday.

She said U.S. partnership with Lebanese state institutions is essential to help Lebanon address three major challenges – the role of Hizbullah, the political crisis, and the spillover effects of the Syrian war, including the refugee crisis.

The diplomat told the committee that she was looking forward to “working with Lebanon’s voices for moderation and progress to support Lebanon’s quest for full sovereignty and independence.”

Hizbullah is “a terrorist organization that puts its own interests and those of its foreign backers ahead of the Lebanese people,” said Richard.

She slammed the party for fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad against the will of the Lebanese people, saying its “activities in Syria create serious security challenges for Lebanon.”

“My mission will be to do everything I can to support Lebanon to exercise full sovereignty throughout the country and to help build up the Lebanese military, its sole legitimate defender,” she said.

The diplomat stressed that the Obama administration's “goal is to dismantle Hizbullah’s international financial network while supporting Lebanese institutions and the Lebanese people.”

She vowed to work with the Lebanese financial sector to enhance Washington's anti-money laundering and terrorism finance cooperation.

Addressing the rising threat of extremist groups such as the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front, she said U.S. “partnership with Lebanon’s security forces has played a critical role in preserving Lebanon’s security against such threats.”

She vowed to do her best to build upon the strong ties between Washington and the Lebanese army and security forces.

Richard said U.S. military assistance to Lebanon - more than $150 million in fiscal year 2015 - makes a difference on the ground. “The Lebanese army has turned the tide against the IS on the border with Syria.”

She called on the Lebanese to elect a president, saying the “people deserve a government that can deliver basic services, promote economic prosperity, and address the country’s most pressing security challenges.”

The diplomat said it was the responsibility of the Lebanese to choose a head of state and have a fully functioning government and parliament.

On the Syrian refugee crisis, the diplomat told the committee that the U.S. contribution to Lebanon reached over $1.1 billion since the start of the crisis in Syria in March 2011.

“If confirmed, I will work hard to help Lebanon address this enormous humanitarian challenge,” she said.

G.K.

M.T.