NNA - President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, informed the US Treasury delegation, that “Lebanon continues to combat corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing operations”.
The President also asserted that Lebanese laws are applied firmly and accurately in this field, and international financial institutions testify to that.
In addition, President Aoun indicated that “Lebanon actively participates in international efforts to combat money laundering, and plays its role in the Financial Action Group for this purpose in the Middle East region. For this purpose, it established the National Coordination Committee for Combating the Financing of Terrorism and the National Anti-Corruption Commission”.
Stances of President Aoun came while meeting a US Treasury delegation, today at the Presidential Palace.
The delegation included: First Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury responsible for combating the financing of terrorism and financial crimes, Mr. Paul Ahren, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury, Mr. Eric Meyer.
US Ambassador to Lebanon, Mrs. Dorothy Shea also attended the meeting.
The President pointed out to members of the US delegation that the most prominent titles of his presidential term was the fight against corruption, and that this process will continue unabated in the remainder of this term.
“One of the most prominent manifestations is the insistence on achieving forensic audits in the accounts of the Central Bank, which is handled by the “Alvarez and Marsal” company after removing obstacles to its work” President Aoun added.
Moreover, the President confirmed that the “Capital Control bill is present in the Parliament, and it was one of the most prominent points mentioned in the decree calling for the Parliament to hold an exceptional contract so that it can study and complete it before the end of their current mandate next May”.
On the other hand, President Aoun thanked the delegation for the support provided by the United States of America to Lebanon in the face of the difficult conditions it is going through, especially support for the army and military forces, as well as humanitarian, development, health and educational assistance.
The American delegation had presented the objectives of their visit to Beirut, focusing on cooperation with the Lebanese government in following up the banking situation in the country, especially issues related to money laundering, combating corruption, on-going negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, and the status of the Lebanese banking sector.
Senior Adviser to the British Ministry of Defense for the Middle East:
President Aoun received the British Ministry of Defense senior advisor for Middle East affairs, Marshal Martin Sampson, in the presence of the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Mr. Ian Collard.
Sampson is on a regular visit to Lebanon to review the situation and address the bilateral relations between Lebanon and Britain, and the existing cooperation between the Lebanese and British armies.
President Aoun welcomed Marshal Sampson, thanking Britain’s interest in strengthening military cooperation with Lebanon, and the British military aid provided to the army, which played an important role in securing the eastern and northern borders by building 41 towers, 38 border control centers, and 31 mobile monitoring systems.
The President also pointed out that “Lebanon continues to combat terrorism by discovering and eliminating sleeper terrorist cells, and the latest record in this regard was the discovery of a cell that intended to carry out terrorist attacks in several centers south of Beirut”.
In addition, President Aoun praised the humanitarian and development assistance provided by Britain to Lebanon, especially in the educational and health sectors, and wished to continue providing such assistance so that Lebanon could face the difficult circumstances it is going through.
Moreover, President Aoun expressed his pain on the accelerating military developments between Russia and Ukraine, and considered that war was never an effective way to resolve disputes, given the destruction, blood, innocent victims, enmities and hatred that it left behind.
In this context, President Aoun hoped that the two countries would return to the language of dialogue and negotiation so that peace and stability would soon return.
For his part, Marshal Sampson emphasized Britain’s keenness to continue providing support to Lebanon, focusing on the importance of combating terrorism and arms and drug smuggling, and considered that countries have a common interest in cooperating with each other to eliminate these pests.
Marshal Sampson also hoped that the parliamentary elections would be held on time next May, and that negotiations with the International Monetary Fund would be activated, pointing out that Britain strongly supports holding parliamentary elections and the success of negotiations.
Former MP Abou Zeid:
The President met his advisor for Russian affairs, former MP Amal Abou Zeid, and deliberated with him Lebanese-Russian relations and the military developments between Russia and Ukraine.
Abou Zeid said that he would go to Moscow to follow up on developments and discuss with Russian officials the data related to them.—Presidency Press Office
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