by famagusta-gazette.com The presence of Cyprus in Europe is a major asset to Lebanon, said the country’s Defence Minister Yaacoub Riad Sarraf, while underlining the “tremendous prospects” that open up with the forthcoming “historic visit” of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades to Beirut.  “Cyprus has stood by Lebanon and will continue to do so” said his Cypriot counterpart, Christoforos Fokaides. Speaking on Thursday, he also referred to the signing of an agreement for bilateral military cooperation, saying that it reflects the will of both countries to face common challenges.

Sarraf, who is on an official visit to Cyprus, was received this morning by Fokaides at the headquarters of the Cyprus National Guard, in Nicosia. The two men had a tête-à-tête, followed by official consultations, in the presence of both sides’ delegations. The Lebanese Minister said that his visit to Cyprus was to “honor a debt that Lebanon has towards Cyprus” for all its assistance in the past, as well as more recently with the refugee crisis.

Cyprus has offered to Lebanon and Jordan its share of 2.3 mln euros, as part of the EU refugee grant to Turkey, to cater for Syrian refugees. “Cyprus plays a major role in the coordination between the European community and Lebanon,” Sarraf added. The Minister also referred to the forthcoming visit of President Anastasiades to Lebanon, noting that he lays great hopes on its outcome. The prospects for prosperity and peace, as well as in education and culture are tremendous, he noted.

US Army Gen Joseph L. Votel, commander United States Central Command, meets with President Michel Aoun during his visit to Lebano. On the trip, Votel met with key leaders of the Lebanese government and military to reaffirm a shared commitment of stability and security in the region.

by Joseph A. Kechichian -Gulf news -  Beirut: Lebanon President Michel Aoun met with the commander of the US Central Command (USCENTCOM), Joseph Votel, in what was a highly anticipated consultation to discuss continued American aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) as well as coordinate intelligence sharing against terrorist organisations operating in the country and alongside its borders. Votel reiterated Washington’s commitments to continue its military support to the LAF, and confirmed that the Lebanese military demonstrated innate capabilities to absorb new and sophisticated items. Towards that end, and starting in October, the LAF is scheduled to receive the first of six Super Tucano light attack turboprops, which was contracted in October 2015, originally financed by Saudi Arabia.

In late December 2013, Riyadh offered a $3 billion grant to Beirut to purchase weapons from France and the United States — another $1 billion was added in August 2014 to boost the country’s counter-terrorism forces — though this aid was suspended in early 2016 after Jibran Bassil, the Minister of Foreign Affairs who heads the Free Patriotic Movement and who is allied with Hezbollah, voted against the unanimous League of States (LAS) and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) resolutions that condemned Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. No details were available on the actual sale and which party may settle the final bill estimated at $462 million Importantly, while the Trump Administration is proposing to reduce US military aid to Beirut by 82 per cent in the coming fiscal year [from $103 million in 2017 to $19 million in 2018], Washington pledged to continue its support. It provided more than $1.3 billion in security assistance during the past decade alone, including the transfer of Tow II anti-tank launchers and missiles as well as 18 new Bell UH-1H Huey helicopters. In 2015, Lebanon became the fifth largest recipient of US foreign military financing and the fifth largest annual recipient of US bilateral training programmes though those might now change, something that General Votel discussed with President Aoun.