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David Schenker emphasized that the United States is working to ensure Lebanon’s neutrality.
David Schenker, the United States Under Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, saw the Beirut port disaster as a result of decades of neglect by Lebanese governments towards the interests of the Lebanese people, and that it was a cry of alarm that required change. I laughed. Speaking to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, he said that the Lebanese government must believe in reform, a government that cares about its people and their demands is necessary, a responsible and transparent government that carries out economic and political reforms. It will no longer be “business as usual.”
Schenker is heading to Lebanon to meet with civil society groups, to hear more details about their requests, ideas and what they expect from the government, because as he says, the Lebanese government must listen to its people and because the US government he wants to make sure of what the Lebanese people want.
Regarding the international investigation of the shipment of ammonium nitrate, Schenker said that they are committed to the investigation and that there are American teams working: “If we are talking about an international tribunal, the investigation would take a long time and the parties might not be satisfied, but We hope that the Lebanese government will also be transparent with the presence of various groups. International assistance with research. We hope to reach a conclusion by announcing it so that the officials can bear the crime of what happened, especially since many have known about the existence of this article for a long time. Schenker admits that the investigation will remain secret until it is finished. This is not with the investigation that ends in 5 days, and while he admitted that the explosion was a great shock, “but based on the actions of the Lebanese governments, it was not a surprise.”
Regarding the French role, Schenker says: “We are in constant contact with the French on Lebanon. The United States and France are very interested in Lebanon. It is the second visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, and the US Undersecretary of State David Hale was there, and I spent a lot of time with Mike Pompeo, the foreign minister, before going to Beirut. He is very interested and very focused on the events in Lebanon, because Lebanon is an old friend and partner. To the United States. “And if you heard the name of Mustafa Adeeb, Prime Minister-designate, Shanker said,” We are not concerned with personality, we are concerned with principles, transparency and accountability. Lebanon is in crisis right now, for what happened to Beirut. There are around 300 thousand people without shelter, but before it was at the height of an economic crisis, which pushed 80% of the population into poverty as the lira lost 80% of its value 7 months ago, and more than 20% of the people are below the poverty line. That is why we want to help the Lebanese people. We work in humanitarian aid, and the United States was the largest donor to Lebanon. Last year we provided 750 million of dollars in aid to Lebanon, and in September we contributed 400 million dollars and 18 million dollars to fight the Coronavirus, and with The explosion We have provided 18 million, and soon we will provide 12 million, and we are also supporting Program M World Food and World Bank for Lebanese in need.
What if the United States will work to save Lebanon financially and assist it in its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund? He says: “Lebanon did not start negotiating with the IMF, because Hassan Diab’s government, which was in power for nearly 200 days, did not get to the point of negotiating with the Fund and continued to discuss issues with the Fund, but it did not reach a decision on the Lebanese debt and the economic situation. Therefore, I believe that the Lebanese government does not feel any emergency situation that simulates the suffering of the Lebanese people ”.
And when I asked him that many Lebanese do not feel that Mustafa Adeeb is the man of the moment because the parties that put him in power will surround him and prevent him from carrying out reforms and changes that the Lebanese need, then what is the difference between Hassan Diab and Mustafa Adeeb then? He replied: “As I mentioned earlier, as the United States we are not concerned with personality, we are concerned with principles, and this government must implement reforms. The Diab government has not implemented any reforms, perhaps because of active political opposition, but this must change. “.
And if he will meet with Nabih Berri, Speaker of Parliament, regarding the demarcation of the maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel, Schenker says: “If there is any development on the Lebanese side, I will do it, otherwise I do not intend to meet any politician. “
And his program doesn’t really include any meeting with Berri.
Regarding David Hale’s statement that the United States is not opposed to Hezbollah’s participation in government, Schenker says: “(Hezbollah) has participated in many governments and, like many political forces in Lebanon, is not interested in reform. He prefers the status quo and is interested in continuing to defend the Iranians, and is interested in continuing without paying the cost of customs that bring revenue to the state. It’s a big part of the problem, so it gets in the way of reform. But once again, I say: it is the principles that matter to us when forming governments.
I ask him: like Hill did, if you keep talking to these politicians who are forming governments, are you giving them legitimacy and is this going against the will of the people who want to get rid of these politicians? “I will talk to people about how they will continue to do this,” he says. “There are many ways, but it all depends on the Lebanese people.”
And if the imposition of sanctions on Lebanese personalities who cooperate with “Hezbollah” remains on the US agenda, as the French daily “Le Figaro” reported last Monday, that the French and Americans are considering imposing sanctions of this kind, are we going to that way? “Yes, we are working on it,” Schenker replies. There will be investigations to arrive at the imposition of sanctions on some of the characters. What if the stolen money will return to the Lebanese people? “This should be part of the reform agenda,” he says. We know of companies that do this work, and they did it in Kuwait after Saddam Hussein’s invasion. They helped to return some money, and I think this is the right of the Lebanese people to ask their government for it ”.
And if the United States supports Lebanon’s neutrality and is ready to help the Lebanese to obtain it, Schenker says: “ We are working with the (International Support Group) and all the actors to help in this, and we call on all future Lebanese governments to adopt neutrality. ” You don’t see any paper. The Security Council in support of this issue: “We were unable to convince Russia and China to extend the military blockade on Iran. But the United States is working on this issue: Lebanon’s neutrality.
What about the implementation of Resolution 1559 issued under Chapter Seven? Schenker says that “all Security Council resolutions must be implemented, but we respect that the Lebanese government does what it can to implement them. It must also hand over Salim Ayyash, the one accused of killing Rafik Hariri, to achieve justice.”
Regarding the words of Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Foreign Minister, that Lebanon is in danger of disappearing, and if the United States believes the same, Schenker says: “Lebanon faces many challenges and, at the At the same time, Lebanon is a pool of potential talent, and the Lebanese people and the Lebanese leadership must be as big as Challenges. Lebanon is facing a financial collapse. They must take steps to prevent it, and this will be politically difficult to implement. “
During his visit to Beirut, which begins today, Schenker will meet with civil society groups, Shiites, businessmen and resigned MPs, such as Sami Gemayel, head of the Phalanges Party, Nemat Afram, Marwan Hamadeh, and large groups of the “revolution” , and you will hear what they say and what their strategy for change is. They have a long way to go. Shankar understands the despair of the Lebanese, but says: “Change must start from within.” It is not known on the road, because the forces that cling to the status quo are very strong. It may be difficult, but trust that the Lebanese people will persevere to bring about change, because the future of the country depends on them. The United States Embassy arranged meetings with young people and university graduates. And your program may include meetings with some officers. But it will still be far from the politicians.
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