Qahwaji in U.S. Soon, Military Assistance Frozen but not Stopped

As Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji readies to visit U.S. and France, a Lebanese army delegation that recently visited Washington told officials there that the military was not willing to fight Hizbullah to serve Israel.

A high-ranking source told An Nahar daily that the delegation headed by Maj. Gen. Abdel Rahman Shehaitly was asked several questions about the alleged influence of Hizbullah on the army. But the answer was clear: “Hizbullah is a party that has a presence in Lebanon and mainly the south where it resists Israel. Is the army required to fight it to serve Israel?”

There is growing concern in Lebanon that the U.S. would stop providing military assistance after the formation of the new cabinet that is dominated by Hizbullah and its allies.

U.S. Congressman Howard Berman has introduced the Hizbullah Anti-Terrorism Act (HATA) that sets rigorous requirements for the provision of foreign assistance to Lebanon during periods when the Shiite party is part of the majority governing coalition.

If passed, the law will prohibit U.S. foreign assistance to a government in which Hizbullah is part of the majority coalition, unless the president certifies that the Shiite group “has ceased its support for terrorism, renounces violence, and disarms - and ceases using Lebanon’s territory as a base to launch attacks against the State of Israel.”

An Nahar’s source said that military assistance hasn’t yet stopped but “I feel it has been frozen.”

He said that Qahwaji’s visit to Washington and Paris depends on the appointment of a new chief of staff to replace Maj. Gen. Shawqi al-Masri following his retirement.