A Lebanese official who often travels to Washington to meet with U.S. officials said the superpower has confidence in Prime Minister Tammam Salam’s government, which was underscored by a visit from a senior U.S. official to Lebanon this week.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Lebanon this weekend for a two-day visit. He has held talks with officials including Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, Speaker Nabih Berri and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt.
Observers following the details of Blinken’s visit to Beirut believe it falls within a wider regional context and is not solely a result of security concerns stemming from the presidential vacuum.
An initial framework of the Iran nuclear deal was agreed on last week after marathon talks between U.S. and Iranian delegates in Lausanne, Switzerland. Many in Lebanon link the election of a president to the outcome of the talks. But this is a belief among Lebanese officials that Blinken’s visit was aiming to negate.
Blinken’s visit comes at an important time and will help to assuage concerns that American interest in Lebanon are beginning to flounder after U.S. Ambassador to Beirut David Hale, who was appointed envoy in August 2013, was reassigned to Pakistan. Lebanese politicians had expressed concerns that the move reflected changing U.S. priorities.
One of Blinken’s goals was to reassure Lebanese officials that Hale’s reassignment was the result of diplomatic considerations and nothing more.
U.S. interests in Lebanon run parallel to the Iran talks, as the White House and State Department continue to support policies in Lebanon. The U.S. has also served as an international umbrella of protection over Lebanon, considering its security a red line not to be crossed.
Blinken’s visit will reassure Lebanese officials that the U.S. still has vested interests in Lebanon’s stability and will continue to support the country on political and military levels. A batch of U.S. weaponry is expected to be delivered to the Lebanese Army soon.
In January, the U.S. delivered dozens of new armored Humvees to help protect Lebanese soldiers. In February this was followed by a U.S. weapons shipment of over 70 M198 Howitzers, as well as 26 million rounds of ammunition.
Blinken’s visit to Defense Minister Samir Moqbel and Lebanese Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi highlighted a particular support for the Army.
Messages of support from U.S. officials were also relayed to Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk during his visit last month to the U.S., where he met with various security officials.
The Lebanese official said, however, a recent visit to the U.S. capital left him flummoxed by the American stance toward the ongoing presidential crisis.
“It is up to the internal democratic game,” the source quoted American officials as saying.
Lebanon has been without a head of state for 11 months since President Michel Sleiman’s term ended May 25. A successor has yet to be chosen amid the going political deadlock.
The American administration, the official said, prefers not to interfere in Lebanese politics at present in order not to fuel tensions. The U.S. is dedicated to preserving stability in Lebanon amid the deteriorating situation in the region.
Americans, the official explained, believe that Hezbollah sets the pace as far as political and security issues go in Lebanon and that the party holds the keys to solving the presidential issue.
The sources also said that America was concerned in particular for Christians in Lebanon. Talks and conferences held in the U.S. about Lebanon often center on the plight of Christians in the region in the wake of advances made by Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria.
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