BEIRUT: Lebanese Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi is in Washington for a meeting of the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, despite lingering disagreements over Lebanon’s role and participation in the international grouping.
A security source told The Daily Star that Kahwagi, who has been in Washington since the weekend, was due to take part in the Thursday meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama and coalition military chiefs, but said that Lebanon was not concerned with any decisions made during the meeting.
The meeting, led by U.S. Gen. Martin Dempsey with military chiefs from 20 of the partners in the 60-plus member coalition, is aimed at hashing out a strategy to the battle against ISIS, after the extremist group seized wide swaths of Syria and Iraq over the summer.
"It is part of ongoing efforts to build the coalition and integrate the capabilities of each country into the broader strategy," said Alistair Baskey, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
Representatives from Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are expected to attend.
Despite Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil pledging Lebanon’s support at a summit in Jeddah, the coalition has been met with suspicion and hostility from some Lebanese politicians.
Speaker Nabih Berri Monday dismissed the coalition as meaningless, while MP Walid Jumblatt described it as a “lie” and suggested it was part of a wider conspiracy to divvy up the Middle East.
Bassil has defend Lebanon’s participation in the coalition based on national interests, while downplaying the country’s role in the larger battle.
“Lebanon has politically participated in this coalition because it is fighting ISIS on its land, and we are in heart of the battle,” Bassil said in September.
“Lebanon takes and does not give, because we do not own weapons or jets to contribute with in the attacks on ISIS. On the opposite, we are in need for weapons, planes and money, and the participating states understand our situation,” he said, while stressing that Lebanon would not be a military station or pathway for the coalition.
The threat of ISIS hit home in Lebanon in August, after the group, along with fighters from the Nusra Front, briefly took over the border town of Arsal before retreating with more than 30 soldiers and policemen as hostages. - with Reuters
No comments:
Post a Comment