Pompeo Meets Jumblat, Geagea, Mouawad Hosts Him over Dinner

W460

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday held talks with a number of Lebanese politicians after meeting the country's top officials earlier in the day.

Media reports said Pompeo met in the afternoon with Lebanese leader Samir Geagea and his wife MP Sethrida Geagea.

Conflicting reports have emerged over the place of the meeting. Some media outlets said the meeting was held in Maarab as MTV reported that Geagea met with Pompeo at the U.S. embassy in Awkar.

Later in the day, the top U.S. diplomat met with Progressive Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat in Clemenceau. The meeting was attended by MP Taymour Jumblat and Education Minister Akram Shehayyeb.

Pompeo tweeted that he is looking forward to working with Jumblat, adding that the U.S. is committed to “supporting Lebanon's path towards a more prosperous and secure future.”

Pompeo later headed to Strong Lebanon bloc MP Michel Mouawad's residence where a dinner banquet was thrown in his honor in the presence of around 50 political figures. According to media reports, Pompeo has ties to the Mouawad family that precede his rise to his post.

The dinner banquet was boycotted by the ministers of the Lebanese Forces, LF deputy chief MP George Adwan and MP Yassine Jaber of Speaker Nabih Berri's bloc.

MTV said the LF's representatives had confirmed that they would attend the event before announcing their snub.

“The LF boycotted due to MP Mouawad's latest stances, especially what happened between him and (Deputy Premier) Ghassan Hasbani in parliament,” MTV reported, quoting unnamed sources.

Sources close to Mouawad said “his stance on Hasbani has nothing to do with his stance on the LF” and that the deputy PM was not invited to Friday's dinner due to a “verbal clash that occurred between them on February 14.”

SourceNaharnet
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