(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Lebanese Army commander General Jean Kahwaji traveled to Washington, DC for a meeting with a U.S.-led coalition against ISIS this week.
Sources say Kahwaji has been in Washington, DC since the weekend, and was planned to take part in a Thursday meeting with President Barack Obama. He is also expected to meet coalition military chiefs to discuss Lebanon’s role and participation in combating ISIS.
The meeting, which is led by U.S. General Martin Dempsey, invited military chiefs from 20 of the partners in the 60 member coalition. Representatives from Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are expected to attend.
“It is part of ongoing efforts to build the coalition and integrate the capabilities of each country into the broader strategy,” said Alistair Baskey, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
The coalition has been met with suspicion and hostility from several Lebanese politicians.
Speaker Nabih Berri Monday dismissed the coalition as “meaningless,” while MP Walid Jumblatt described it as a “lie” and suggested it was part of a wider conspiracy to divide the Middle East.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil defended Lebanon’s participation in the coalition based on national interests.