A source in the US Embassy in Lebanon said that the Lebanese cabinet requested its agreement with Washington for a long-term program to train and equip the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces (ISF), Akhbar al-Yawm news reported on Friday. The source added that the program started years ago.
Several March 8 coalition figures—including head of the Media and Telecommunications Commission Hassan Fadlallah and Speaker Nabih Berri—criticized former PM Fouad Siniora’s cabinet for reportedly signing the agreement in 2007, when the parliament was shut down from December 2006 until May 2008.
The source also said that the agreement was publicly announced on a US website listing Washington’s foreign agreements. The source praised the website’s transparency, adding that it “includes details on the different phases of training and assistance provided to Lebanon.”
The US embassy was not attempting to spy on Lebanon when it requested information on the country’s mobile networks, the source said, adding that all US-Lebanese agreements are implemented upon Beirut’s request.
The source also denied claims that the US embassy is going above the Foreign Affairs Ministry in its dealings with the Lebanese government.
-NOW Lebanon
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