The United States has rewarded Lebanon for it cooperation in the Bush administration's war on terrorism..
U.S. officials said the capture of nearly 50 suspected Al Qaida-aligned
insurgents over the last three months has significantly bolstered
Washington's confidence in Lebanese security. The officials said the arrests
also revived security cooperation between the two countries.
On Friday, the State Department reopened the U.S. consulate in Beirut in
a move that will allow Lebanese to apply for visas in their country. The
consulate was closed in 1984 in wake of a Hizbullah car-bombing of the U.S.
embassy in Beirut, Middle East Newsline reported.
"This is a new chapter in Lebanese-U.S. relations," U.S. ambassador to
Beirut, Vincent Battle, said. "This consular building is our small
contribution to that return to normalcy, and a sign that American-Lebanese
relations continue to grow. U.S.-Lebanese relations need continued support,
especially on our mutual goal of ending terrorism, to remain strong."
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Those who believe that an unplanned, random "Big Bang" explosion of unknown matter caused the formation of the numberless bodies of the cosmos should be able to answer the following questions:
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Officials said the State Department has been working with the Lebanese
government to improve security over the last decade in wake of the 15-year
civil war. They said over the last few months, particularly since the war in
Iraq, Beirut has significantly improved cooperation with the United States.
The consulate, which will launch services on June 9, was opened in a
ceremony attended by Battle and Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican from
California. Officials said the decision to reopen the consulate was also
meant to facilitate visa applications by Lebanese within their country,
rather than traveling to neighboring Syria or the Republic of Cyprus. Syria
deploys about 16,000 soldiers in Lebanon.
"Most importantly, it will make a powerful statement to the people of
this country that the United States views Lebanon as a sovereign,
independent and free nation," Issa said.
Issa said he has offered to work with his colleagues in Congress to
provide aid to Lebanon if Beirut works to further improve cooperation
with the United States. The House member cited the need to remove Hizbullah
forces and weapons from the Lebanese border with Israel and work for a
Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon.
