(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — United States Republican Congressman Darrell Issa held meetings with top Lebanese officials Monday and Tuesday, in a brief visit to discuss U.S. support for the Lebanese state and Army, a U.S. embassy statement said.
Along with the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale, Issa met with former President Michel Sleiman, Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Following his meeting with Prime Minister Salam, Congressman Issa highlighted that the United States was “dedicated to ensuring that the Lebanese Armed Forces has all the tools it needs in order to preserve the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon.”
He affirmed continued U.S. support for Lebanon’s security institutions, and coordination with regional allies to meet the training and equipment needs of Lebanon’s security services.
The National News Agency had reported Tuesday that Issa also met with March 14 officials at the group’s headquarters in Beirut’s Ashrafieh neighborhood.
NNA said the talks focused on political and security developments in Lebanon and the region. In addition to Issa and Ambassador Hale, the agency stated that March 14’s General Secretariat Fares Soueid, MP Marwan Hamade and MP Nadim Gemayel attended the meetings.
Issa chairs the powerful U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government. The congressman, who is of Lebanese descent, has been active in Middle Eastern affairs and arrived in Lebanon after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo Sunday.