BEIRUT: Lebanon’s president will urge US officials to speed up delivery of weapons for the nation’s army during a trip to Washington in which he will meet with President Barack Obama, a Lebanese official said Saturday.
The appeal from President Michel Suleiman, who arrives in Washington Saturday, is at the heart of much of the country’s political turmoil.
Lebanon’s government is a shaky coalition of Western-backed factions and Syrian-supported groups led by Hezbollah, a militant group that has its own arsenal with tens of thousands of rockets and missiles.
The United States has long provided military assistance to Lebanon — including $410 million to the military and the police. But America has not handed over any sophisticated arms for fear they could end up in the hands of Hezbollah, which the US lists as a terrorist group.
Suleiman will press US officials to deliver the promised military aid, a Lebanese official said Friday. The official, who asked that his name not be used, did not give details.
Hisham Jaber, who heads the Middle East Center for Studies and Public Relations in Beirut, said Suleiman’s appeal is part of his work to develop a national defense strategy that would eventually integrate Hezbollah weapons into the army.
“You cannot speak about a defense strategy and disarming the resistance without the presence of a strong army,” Jaber said.
The trip to Washington was announced earlier this month, before the Lebanese Parliament approved a national unity government that will allow Hezbollah to keep its weapons despite strong criticism from pro-Western lawmakers.
