U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met this morning in Washington with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who has been in the U.S. since yesterday, Saturday, according to a State Department official.
The visit, during which Aoun will also hold talks with his counterpart Donald Trump, is the first by a Lebanese president to the U.S. since Michel Sleiman’s visit in 2009, during which he met with Barack Obama.
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In a statement, the State Department noted that Rubio praised the Lebanese government for its “resolute efforts to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty” and to “disarm” Hezbollah. The statement added that Rubio reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to supporting the implementation of the framework.
At this time, the Lebanese authorities are negotiating with Israel regarding the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the areas it occupied in southern Lebanon following the outbreak of the second war with Hezbollah.
In addition to the “U.S.-Lebanese summit” to be held at the White House, Joseph Aoun will also speak with many other U.S. officials about the situation in Lebanon and discuss measures to consolidate the ceasefire, as well as the withdrawal of the Israeli army, as the Lebanese presidency stated yesterday in its announcement. The meeting with Trump, however, is scheduled for Tuesday.
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