U.S. Diplomat Relays Message from Kerry as Aoun Urges U.S. to Maintain Support for Army

by Naharnet Newsdesk 13 December 2016, 16:53

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Anne Patterson on Tuesday relayed a message to President Michel Aoun from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, in which she expressed Washington's readiness to maintain its support for Lebanon to enable it to face the expected challenges, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.

Patterson also told Aoun that her country appreciates Lebanon's efforts in hosting the Syrian refugees, stressing that it is necessary to continue assisting Lebanon as it struggles to cope with the refugee crisis.

Moreover, the U.S. official renewed Washington's readiness to meet the needs of the Lebanese army while hailing its role in combating terrorism and preserving the country's stability.

Aoun for his part urged the U.S. to maintain its assistance for the army and the security forces to enable them to fully perform their missions, “especially that the army has achieved great success in the preemptive security operations that it is staging as part of its war on terror.”

He also pointed out that “the real solution for the plight of Syrian refugees should be through finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis.”

A statement issued by the U.S. Embassy said Patterson is scheduled to meet with several Lebanese officials to discuss security, humanitarian, political, and economic issues and underscore U.S. support for the Lebanese people and institutions.

SourceNaharnet

Lebanon

Comments 3

chrisrushlau 13 December 2016, 17:22

Patterson cautioned that the Shia majority in Lebanon must not be allowed to vote its numbers in Parliamentary elections, referring to the Constitution's controversial Article 24 which reserves half of Parliament to Christians. "We have enough trouble with Shias in other countries," she said, possibly meaning Israel by the "we", although possibly referring to the Persian Gulf monarchies, some of which have majority Shia populations. Or she may have been referring to herself, by use of the "imperial We", a practice pioneered in the State Dept. by Kerry's predecessor, Hillary Clinton, in her cackling comment about Libya's assassinated Gaddafi, "We came, we saw, he died."

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