Jaber: US-Lebanese Talks Not Linked to New US Sanctions on Hizbullah

MP Yassin Jaber affirmed that a visit scheduled for a Lebanese parliamentary delegation to Washington next Sunday “is not related to reports about new US sanctions,” against Hizbullah, the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported on Thursday.

The delegation will travel to Washington to participate in meetings organized by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

It will include Jaber, the head of the parliament committee on Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, and MP Ibrahim Kanaan, the head of the Budget and Finance committee, along with other deputies.

The delegation is expected to meet officials in the US Administration to give an overview of Lebanon’s political and economic situation.

Jaber told Asharq al-Awsat that the visit would be an opportunity to hold meetings with US officials “to explain the Lebanese situation and discuss the region's affairs.”

He said he has not obtained any information about any new package of sanctions against Hizbullah. The sanctions against those charged “are a permanent possibility,” he said.

The MP stressed that Lebanon “insists that sanctions do not affect the whole country, and are limited to individuals targeted by these sanctions.”