Lebanon, U.S. improve military cooperation

MENL ^ | 09/09/2004

[yonif]

NICOSIA [MENL] -- Lebanon has improved its military cooperation with the United States.

Lebanese and U.S. officials have reported increased military cooperation between Beirut and Washington. The officials said the two countries have increased training of the Lebanese military and held high-level meetings to bolster the level of military and security cooperation.

The U.S. effort was meant to increase Lebanese cooperation in the war against Al Qaida. Lebanese officials said that despite Washington's criticism over Beirut's support for Hizbullah and Palestinian insurgency groups, the Bush administration has sought to exploit the recent arrests and prosecution of Al Qaida operatives in Lebanon to bolster cooperation.

On May 18, Lebanese Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Michel Suleiman met the commander of Special Operations Command Europe, Brig. Gen. Thomas Csrnko. Csrnko, accompanied by a military delegation, discussed cooperation with Lebanon in a range of fields.

[yonif]

Lebanon is a terrorist state, and is a puppet of the Syrian terrorist regime.

[reed13]

I thought they were an "occuppied" state. Haven't the Syrians been told by multiple groups to withdraw their forces in order to allow Lebanon to practice their sovreignty (sp)?

If we establish a relationship and bring in special forces to help 'train' the Lebanese this would close the box on Syria, with their only pressure release being Jordan to the south.