🇱🇧 LEBANON ASKS TRUMP FOR AID TO REBUILD
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun travels to Washington to seek Donald Trump’s support, during the first visit by a Lebanese head of state to the White House in nearly twenty years. (Financial Times)
Aoun hopes the United States will mobilize international funding to rebuild a country devastated by wars and the economic crisis. The cost of reconstruction is estimated at about $11 billion, while the banking system remains deeply fragile. (AP News)
But U.S. aid could come with a political price: Washington expects Beirut to strengthen the national army, disarm Hezbollah, and implement the economic reforms demanded for several years. Aoun also wants Trump to put pressure on Israel to secure the withdrawal of its forces from southern Lebanon. (The Washington Institute)
For the Lebanese president, this meeting represents a decisive opportunity to restore the authority of the state and convince investors that Lebanon can finally move past conflicts, corruption, and instability.
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#Reconstruction