A group of US congressmen held meetings Saturday with Lebanon’s top leaders during a fact-finding mission to the country that is roiled by an unprecedented economic crisis.
The delegation is to report to President Joe Biden and the Congress and propose ways to help the Lebanese. The country's new government led by Prime Minister Najib Mikati, in place since September, has struggled to kick off reforms and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
The US team includes Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican, and also Republican Rep. Darin LaHood of Illinois, as well as Edward Gabriel, head of the Washington-based American Task Force for Lebanon. The three, who arrived Friday and are to spend three days in Lebanon, first met with President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace.
Lebanon’s crisis is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement. The international community has said it will only help the small nation once it implements wide reforms and tackles widespread corruption.
Gabriel told a local TV station that the congressmen are in town “to see first-hand" what is going on in Lebanon and that he hoped they would “come up with some new ideas" for ways the United States could help the Lebanese.
The delegation later met with Mikati who thanked the US for standing by Lebanon and for its continuous support to the Lebanese army, his office said.
