Richard conveys to Hariri US concerns over “Hezbollah’s growing role”

US Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard congratulated on Tuesday Prime Minister Saad Hariri for the Cabinet formation.

 

Riachrad’s comments were made after meeting with Hariri at the Grand Serail whereby she said that she reviewed “an array of areas in which the United States is already working with Lebanon, and we reviewed what Hariri’s priorities are for the future.”

 

She also conveyed the US concerns over the growing role for an organization in this Cabinet that “continues to maintain a militia that is not under the government’s control.

 

“This organization continues to take its own national security decisions that put Lebanon at risk,” she added.

 

The ambassador also noted that the organization continues "to violate the government’s disassociation policy by participating in armed conflict in at least three other countries.”

 

She voiced hopes that Lebanon “would not deviate from the course of progress ahead of it now.”

 

Richard concluded by saying that the US is proud to be the largest provider of development, humanitarian, and security assistance to Lebanon.