Reuters
American Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas A. Shannon, Jr. began a two-day visit to Lebanon Thursday during which he will meet with leaders of Lebanon’s national and municipal institutions and engage directly with the Lebanese people.
Following talks with Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil, Shannon voiced his gratefulness for the generous and gracious hospitality of the Lebanese people, adding that he was impressed by the dynamism and natural beauty of Lebanon.
“We had an opportunity to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues, and I want to thank him for his candid views and opinions. We discussed the many challenges facing Lebanon, from terrorist threats, to the presence of over a million Syrian refugees, to political gridlock,” Shannon said of his meeting with Bassil, adding that he is looking forward to further exploring and understanding the challenges facing Lebanon over the course of his visit.
“The goal of my visit is to further strengthen the American-Lebanese partnership by building on our long-standing support to the country’s institutions and people. For example, this last week, we invested another $20 million to support student retention in Lebanon’s public schools. Over the coming days, I plan to meet with the leaders of your national and municipal institutions and engage directly with the Lebanese people. In all my conversations, my message will be clear - the United States will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Lebanon,” Shannon also added.
Shannon also noted that, while the United States and the international community will continue to offer unwavering support to Lebanon, they cannot provide solutions to internal issues, such as the presidential vacancy, adding that the end to the deadlock must come from Lebanon’s institutions and people.
“We had an opportunity to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues, and I want to thank him for his candid views and opinions. We discussed the many challenges facing Lebanon, from terrorist threats, to the presence of over a million Syrian refugees, to political gridlock,” Shannon said of his meeting with Bassil, adding that he is looking forward to further exploring and understanding the challenges facing Lebanon over the course of his visit.
“The goal of my visit is to further strengthen the American-Lebanese partnership by building on our long-standing support to the country’s institutions and people. For example, this last week, we invested another $20 million to support student retention in Lebanon’s public schools. Over the coming days, I plan to meet with the leaders of your national and municipal institutions and engage directly with the Lebanese people. In all my conversations, my message will be clear - the United States will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Lebanon,” Shannon also added.
Shannon also noted that, while the United States and the international community will continue to offer unwavering support to Lebanon, they cannot provide solutions to internal issues, such as the presidential vacancy, adding that the end to the deadlock must come from Lebanon’s institutions and people.
