Al-Rahi May Meet Trump in Upcoming U.S. Visit

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is readying to visit the United States in mid-January, media reports said.

Al-Joumhouria newspaper said there is a “big chance” for a meeting between him and U.S. President Donald Trump, basing its expectation on “two reasons.”

“The first is the presence in Washington of a large Christian Lebanese lobby that is working to see this meeting happen,” the daily said, adding that “this lobby has direct ties with the U.S. president and his close aides.”

“The second reason is that the White House could consider a meeting with al-Rahi as a compensation for the exclusion of Lebanon from the (Middle East) tour of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton,” al-Joumhouria added.