LEBANESE DELEGATION IN U.S. TO STOP WAR ESCALATION SYRIAN REFUGEES LEBANESE PRESIDENCY
April 19, 2024A delegation representing opposition forces, including Michel Moawad from the Renewal Bloc, Nadim Gemayel from the Kataeb Bloc, Georges Okais from the Lebanese Forces Strong Republic party, and Mark Daou and Waddah Sadek from the Change Bloc, arrived in Washington D.C. this week to discuss ways of preventing an escalation into all out war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s last war with Israel in 2006 resulted in more than 1300 Lebanese being killed and the country’s infrastructure including roads, bridges, utilities and other sites destroyed. 18 years on, and after the country’s economic collapse in 2020, the country and the people cannot afford, nor do they want another war.
The delegation will also be discussing the Syrian refugee issue which continues to cause problems across the country including increasing crime rates and pressure on an already weak and fractured system. There are more than 2.5million Syrian refugees harbouring in Lebanon, which represents more than one third of the entire current population. This is an extraordinary number of refugees for one small country to handle.
MTV reporter, Alain Dergham, described the delegation of opposing parties as rare.
“It is extremely rare for Washington to see a group of Lebanese MPs UNITED, from the OPPOSITION, explaining to the US Administration their shared narrative and perspective.”
During the week, the delegation held several meetings at the White House, the State Department, the Treasury Department, Congress, think tanks, the International Monetary Fund, and with various Lebanese-American groups to convey the opposition’s perspective on these issues as well as the protracted Presidential vacancy calamity. Lebanon has been without a president since October 31st 2022 after Michel Aoun’s term ended.
The delegation will also hold a series of meetings related to the financial and economic situation and the associated reforms. #lebanonnews #أخبار_لبنان
English Script:
Nabila Awad: From Beirut to Washington, where a parliamentary delegation from the Opposition bloc continues its tour to inform officials in the American administration of their point of view regarding the presidential elections.
Alain Dergham: Nabila, it is very rare for Washington to witness a unified parliamentary delegation and opposition that delivers to the American administration a unified point of view and narrative about many issues starting from the Presidency of the Republic to the displaced Syrians, and also about stopping the war in the south as quickly as possible and adopting Resolution 1701. As well as how to deal with the bad economy in Lebanon.
George Okais: The goal of this visit is to show a unified and comprehensive picture of a sovereign and reformist national opposition, carrying a common vision, and a great understanding on many issues: the presidency, the displacement, the ongoing war in the south, the implementation of international resolutions, as well as economic and financial reform.
Alain Dergham: What’s new about this?
Mark Daou: In my opinion, the big development happening today is that we are delivering a clear and important position to the American administration, especially inside the Parliament. Which is that the government today is a government from a previous parliament, in the absence of the President of the Republic and disrupting the Parliament. There is a major political point of view in Lebanon that we represent, which does not reach the (American) administrations as it should. Our presence in the Parliament was met with a wide reception, from the Lebanese American Friendship Committee, from the Procurement Committee, which sets budgets to support the Lebanese Army, the Foreign Relations Committee, and in addition to the meeting we recently had with the Department of the Treasury.
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