Leadership will be top of agenda in visit by US officials

A US delegation will travel to Lebanon this week and push for the formation of an independent government to address the country’s short and medium-term problems.

The team will be led by Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale, who served as ambassador to Lebanon.

The resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his government did not surprise US officials who have been monitoring the situation and co-ordinating with the French government since the day of the explosion at Beirut port, sources told The National.

While US President Donald Trump’s administration had a lukewarm relationship with Mr Diab’s government, sources said it did not appear to lobby for its resignation, even after the explosion last Tuesday.

Washington, they said, did not want to rock the boat during a pandemic and as the Lebanese capital tried to cope in the aftermath of the explosion.

Mr Hale was expected in Lebanon by the end of the week, a US official said, with talks expected to start on Friday.

The formation of a new government will be the top item on the agenda for the visit, but other issues will be discussed, analysts said.

“The renewal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon [Unifil], the demarcation of the maritime border with Israel, international investigation of the explosion, economic reforms and a clear political process on the heels of the Cabinet resignation should be discussed,” Randa Slim, a senior fellow and director of the conflict resolution and Track II dialogues programme at the Middle East Institute think tank in Washington, said.

The Unifil mandate is up for renewal this month, and the US and Israel favour stricter enforcement to block alleged arms smuggling to Hezbollah.

Demarcation of the Lebanese maritime border with Israel is one matter that could move forward, and the US delegation was expected to pursue it during the visit to Lebanon.

Mr Hale’s tallest order would be helping the new government’s consultations and pushing for economic reforms that the International Monetary Fund requested.

“The US has carrots and sticks it can use to change the ruling class’s incentive structure,” said Ms Slim.

The carrots were assistance for Lebanon, while the sticks could mean more sanctions on Lebanese officials blocking these reforms.

Key US demands could include transparency measures at the ports of entry, reform of the electricity and water sectors and digitising payments.