"Modern police practices, administration, democratic policing, human
rights, criminal investigations and other essential law enforcement skills
are all part of the program," the embassy said.
Ms. Sison said the training in Lebanon was one of the best offered by
the United States. She cited the new Police Visitor Program, meant to invite
ISF officers, police trainees, instructors to the United
States to meet their professional colleagues. The visit to the United
States would last 10 days.
"The visit will begin in Washington D.C. with a welcome briefing by the
U.S. Department of State's officials responsible for law enforcement
assistance programs," Ms. Sison said. "The participants will then visit
model police departments, academies, and criminal investigations units
throughout the United States to observe their operations and to exchange
best practices with U.S. with their police counterparts. These high
achieving students and officers will bring their knowledge back to the
academy where they will share it with their Lebanese colleagues."
The first group of Lebanese officers was scheduled to leave for the
United States in July 2008. She said the next ISF training class would begin
on April 21.
"We are all working together to support the Internal Security Forces as
a highly professional police force, protecting and serving citizens of
Lebanon in a democratic society," Ms. Sison said.
The United States has spent more than $250 million in an effort to
assist the Siniora government against threats from Hizbullah, Iran and
Syria. The Bush administration has taken credit for the defeat of the
Syrian-backed Fatah Al Islam revolt in September 2007.
"I think had the United States not been able to respond to the needs of
the LAF for immediate military assistance in fighting the Al Qaida-linked
terrorists in the Naher Al Bared refugee camp, we might have seen a very
different outcome," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the House Armed
Services Committee on April 15. "In the case that we were able to respond,
we saw a Lebanese Army and a Lebanese government -- democratically elected
government -- able to respond to that exigency."
Ms. Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have asked Congress to grant
the Pentagon permanent authority over training and equipping foreign
militaries. They said this would include Lebanon, who would receive much
of the proposed $750 million in foreign military assistance for fiscal 2009.
"This was a vital and enduring military requirement, irrespective of the
capacity of other departments, and its authorities and funding mechanisms
should reflect that reality," Gates said.
