WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington on Sunday, praising the country for its “move toward peace” after the latest round of Lebanon-Israel talks.
It was the first trip to the US capital by a Lebanese head of state since Michel Sleiman was received by Barack Obama in 2009.
Aoun and Rubio held talks at the State Department, and Lebanese officials said Aoun is due to meet with President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Rubio commended the Lebanese government for its “determined effort to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move toward peace,” the State Department said following the talks.
Israel and Lebanon — which do not have formal diplomatic relations — began US-sponsored negotiations in April aimed at reaching a peace deal and permanently ending the Israel-Hezbollah war.
