Category: Statement

Washington, DC, August 14, 2020 (ATFL) – The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL) is concerned by reports of injuries sustained by demonstrators in Beirut during clashes with Lebanese security forces. We note that Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander Joseph Aoun reiterated his commitment that the military will protect the rights of law-abiding citizens to peacefully demonstrate. 
 
In light of recent legislation granting broad powers under a state of emergency to the army, the ATFL reiterates its long-standing call for the LAF to act in the best interests of the country by showing good judgement in the exercise of these powers. The ATFL is also concerned that civilians not be tried in military courts under the emergency decree without transparency, due process, and representation for the accused.

In these most challenging times, we believe that all stakeholders in the future of Lebanon must immediately begin serious national dialogues on how to repair the extensive damage caused by the blast, initiate desperately-needed economic reforms, and gradually create a new political foundation for the country, free from corruption and sectarianism. This starts with protecting basic freedoms, including freedom of assembly and expression. ATFL strongly supports the human and civil rights of the Lebanese people to call for leadership and policies that respond to the peoples’ needs.

Washington, DC, August 11, 2020 (ATFL) – The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese ancestry, notes the decision of the Diab government to resign and its call for early elections. In light of the economic, political, and social crises that have been eroding the quality of life for the Lebanese people and the hundreds of thousands of refugees residing in the country, the devastation of Beirut has only magnified the mismanagement and corruption of the political leadership over the past 30 years.
 
There is no easy solution for Lebanon’s recovery. It will take a unified effort of the Lebanese people, its civil society, and public and private stakeholders to develop a national consensus on Lebanon’s future. Lebanon does not lack the talent or the capacity for renewal. We strongly support the capacity of the Lebanese to recover from these multiple disasters and lead their county to a new future.

Washington, DC, August 5, 2020 (ATFL) – The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese ancestry working to support strong ties between the United States and Lebanon expresses its profound sadness for the loss of life and extensive property damage caused by explosions at the Port of Beirut on Tuesday, August 4.

The ATFL is in constant communication with US government agencies and members of Congress to facilitate the provision of needed food, medicines, emergency supplies, and other materials needed to deal with the aftermath of this horrific event. Lebanon also needs help in clearing debris, removal of dangerous materials in the Port of Beirut facilities, and other steps to re-open the Port so that services can be restored as soon as possible.

In our exchanges with the State Department, Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hale said in a statement to ATFL: “Secretary Pompeo announced last night that America stood ready to assist the Lebanese people as they recover from this horrible tragedy. Our teams have worked through the night to identify the most effective means to respond. We are not yet ready to make an announcement, but rest assured America will be at the forefront among the friends of Lebanon. Secretary Pompeo and many of us who have served in Lebanon hold the country and its people dear, and we will stand by the Lebanese at this time of dire need.” Under Secretary Hale previously served as US Ambassador to Lebanon. 
 
ATFL is working in collaboration with other US-based organizations to advocate for US humanitarian and economic relief for the country. Edward Gabriel, President and CEO noted that “In the wake of the enormous blasts at the Port of Beirut resulting in more than a hundred dead and thousands injured, the US and the international community must move immediately to provide needed humanitarian relief and assistance to deal with the dangerous situation in a country already reeling from economic and political crises.”
 
Individuals should please consider donating to the below organizations, which are already assisting in the immediate aftermath of this tragedy:
 

Amel Association

American University of Beirut Medical Center Disaster Response

International Rescue Committee

Lebanese American University Medical Hospital

Lebanese Red Cross

Lebanon Needs You

LIFE Emergency Relief Fund

Rene Moawad Foundation USA: Beirut Emergency Fund

Save the Children: Lebanon Children’s Relief Fund

Washington, DC, August 4, 2020 (ATFL) – During the past several months, the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese heritage who support a strong bilateral relationship between the United States and Lebanon, have been meeting virtually with prominent leaders in the US and Lebanon to better assess and understand the dynamics of the current situation and options for US policy.
 
In addition to numerous meetings with officials of the US Administration and Congress, the ATFL met virtually with the Lebanese prime minister, several cabinet ministers, the head of the Central Bank, and the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). In the private sector, ATFL reached out to key NGOs, business leaders, and the bankers association. These meetings helped inform the joint ATFL- Middle East Institute facilitated report released on July 14, 2020, Recommendations for a Sustainable Bilateral Relationship, which will be updated over the next several months with the latest developments.

Following these discussions, ATFL President Edward Gabriel said, “There is an urgent need for the Lebanese to come to a consensus on how to restore durability, credibility, and sustainability to the country. Meaningful reforms that restore confidence in the economy will enable the government and society to address Lebanon’s desperate social and humanitarian conditions that are driving an anxious population deeper into poverty.”  

Lebanon must act now to curb its mounting economic, social, and humanitarian problems. Time is quickly running out.

Washington, DC, June 30, 2020 (ATFL) – The American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL), a not-for-profit organization of Americans of Lebanese heritage who work in support of a strong US-Lebanon relationship, expresses its strong dismay at the controversy surrounding the rejection by a judge in Tyre of the right of US Ambassador Dorothy Shea to mention the negative role that she perceives Hezbollah plays in Lebanon. On Saturday, Judge Mohammed Mazeh issued an order banning local and foreign media organizations from interviewing or hosting Ambassador Shea for a year.
 
One of the key hallmarks of Lebanese society has been openness to public expressions of positions on a range of issues. The judge’s ruling is not only a violation of this principle of free speech but is inappropriate in the context of diplomatic relations between countries.
 
The ATFL encourages the Lebanese government to forcefully reject this intrusion into US-Lebanon political affairs and restate its commitment to free speech and discourse by dismissing this threat against international and domestic media in Lebanon.

Washington, DC, June 8, 2020 (ATFL) – The American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese ancestry working to promote strong ties between the US and Lebanon, are deeply concerned with  events surrounding the demonstrations in Lebanon on June 6.
 
The ATFL strongly supports the rights of the Lebanese people to demonstrate peacefully to achieve their goals for political, economic, and social reforms to allow them to live in dignity in an inclusive and equitable society.
 
The ATFL regrets that injuries were sustained by some of the demonstrators, condemns the violence that took place between small groups of demonstrators, and the unnecessary damage done to public and private property which distracts from the core messages of the demonstrators.
 
The ATFL further condemns the violence that took place between some demonstrators and the Army which resulted in several casualties of the LAF, one seriously. The ATFL continues to support the LAF as the only legitimate military force in the country and will maintain its efforts to promote the very strong ties between the LAF and the US government, and their mission to protect the citizens of Lebanon.
 

Washington, DC, April 23, 2020 (ATFL) – The American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL) hosted an informative discussion between U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea and the ATFL leadership team in a background briefing call yesterday morning. Call participants discussed Lebanon’s new government, the country’s dire humanitarian situation, and its economic crisis. ATFL was pleased to hear that the U.S. Embassy in Beirut recently secured $13.3 million in US aid to Lebanon.

All participants ended the conversation with shared aspirations of strengthening US-Lebanon relations by continuing to involve the Lebanese-American community.

ATFL is pleased to work towards its mission to support the US-Lebanese relationship by continuing to host these types of dialogues.

 
The American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL) has prepared the following analysis and recommendations for restructuring the Lebanese economy and ensuring the overall health of the country in light of the country’s decision to restructure its Eurobond debt.
 

Executive Summary

 
The March 7 announcement that Lebanon will suspend paying its $1.2bn Eurobond payment due on March 9 confirmed the reality that the government is unable to continue living beyond its means and must now negotiate with its creditors to restructure its debt. The restructuring will have severe consequences for local banks which hold a significant portion of the debt. The banks have instituted informal capital controls that have made it virtually impossible for Lebanese to access their dollar or lira accounts, thus driving more Lebanese into poverty, forcing businesses to close, and jobs eliminated or cut back. 
 
Recommendations – Details follow the summary
In order for Lebanon to develop sound short, medium, and long term recovery strategies, the ATFL offers the following recommendations regarding the fiscal and economic crisis:
 

• Improved, transparent, and regular communications with the Lebanese people and the international community concerning steps the government is taking. 

• Engage a broad spectrum of Lebanese in formulating policies to support reforms and restructuring.

• Treat the fiscal and banking crises as two sides of the same coin as the deficits have accumulated due to poor fiscal management and a lack of transparent governance.

• It is critical that primary attention focus on protecting the poor and lower and middle classes who are disproportionately impacted by the public debt, failure of the banking system, and the need to restructure the borrowing. 

• Reducing the budget deficit and restructuring the public debt will take several years but immediate steps can be taken and are well known. Throughout the process, those with fewer resources to survive the reforms needed should be protected by a well-thought out, managed, and monitored support program.

• Lebanon should welcome technical assistance and help from the IMF to decide on credible and realistic actions.

• Steps to increase revenues include a fair, transparent, and independent tax regime, customs authority, and auditing process. Subsidies to inefficient public entities such as the power sector, telecommunications, and other government agencies have to be dealt will in the short term. Revenues can also be generated through selling unused government assets and eliminating corruption the contracting and the illegal use of public lands.

• Government reform efforts should begin by guaranteeing an independent judiciary and regulatory agencies to ensure accountability and transparency.

• International donors are an integral part of any recovery strategy and there is unanimous agreement that Lebanon must undertake significant reforms to qualify for any meaningful assistance. This should not prohibit the provision of humanitarian support directly to beneficiaries through civil society, social service, and NGO communities.

Washington, DC, January 23, 2020 (ATFL) – On Tuesday, January 21, Hassan Diab, Lebanon’s prime minister designate, announced the formation of a new cabinet, which still must be confirmed by the Parliament. 

ATFL reiterates its belief that any new Government must act immediately and transparently to implement fiscal, economic, political, and social reforms that reflect the needs of the Lebanese people and their desire for an inclusive, non-sectarian, and credible government.

ATFL also believes that the US should continue its strong support for the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces in their capacity as the sole legitimate military entities in the country.

The ATFL will continue to work with the US government to ensure US support for the need for economic and political reforms built on transparent, proactive, and effective governance. 

Equally important, we call on the Lebanese government, and especially the Lebanese Armed Forces and security services, to protect the rights of the citizens and ensure that they can express themselves without fear of reprisal. Recent protests and reactions by the security forces demonstrate the dangers of a cycle of increasing violence.

Furthermore, the impoverishment of many people in Lebanon, now over a third of which are living in poverty, is a crisis that calls for immediate action. ATFL calls on international aid agencies to prioritize programs that provide emergency food, medicine, and other vital supplies to the Lebanese people.

ATFL remains committed to ensuring that Lebanon’s relationship with the US remains a priority and that the US remains an active partner in safeguarding and enhancing the lives of the Lebanese people.

Washington, DC, December 16, 2019 (ATFL) – Last week, the International Support Group (ISG) for Lebanon met in Paris to review the challenging economic and political situation in Lebanon. In its final statement, the ISG expressed its concern that “preserving Lebanon’s stability, unity, security, sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity requires the urgent formation of an effective and credible government capable to meet the aspirations expressed by all the Lebanese that will have the capacity and credibility to deliver the necessary substantive policy package of economic reforms, and that will be committed to dissociate the country from regional tensions and crisis. It is urgent for the new government to be in place as quickly as possible.”
 
The ISG also noted that the country’s economy was at risk of unraveling and urgently needed a “substantial, credible, and comprehensive policy package of economic reforms to restore fiscal balance and financial stability and address long-lasting structural deficiencies in the Lebanese economy.” The statement mentioned that “These measures are of utmost importance to bring answers to the aspirations expressed by the Lebanese people,” adding the importance of a safety net to protect those who are suffering severe economic dislocation.
 
The ISG calls for a new government committed to a reform agenda in the 2020 national budget. Specific recommended steps are the passage of laws to promote transparency and counter corruption, fiscal policy reforms, implementation of regulations to deal with the “long-lasting deficiencies in the Lebanese economy,” measures to tackle debt and tax collection, setting up independent regulatory bodies, effective implementation of transparent procurement laws and reform of state-owned enterprises, beginning with the electricity sector.
 
Regarding the commitments of the CEDRE donors, the ISG called on the Lebanese government to immediately put in place the mechanisms needed to implement the approved projects “in line with the people’s needs and expectations.” A key caveat is that international support is contingent on concrete and rapid implementation of measures addressed in the statement.
 
Importantly, the ISG statement commended the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces “for their actions in securing the peaceful character of the protests and the rights of the citizens more broadly,” adding that “The Group reiterates that the right to peaceful protest must continue to be respected and call on all sides to act responsibly.”
 
As MP Yassin Jaber, the head of the Lebanese parliament’s foreign affairs committee said, the ISG conference delivered a clear message. “They have basically told us, ‘we still have you in mind, but please, for heaven’s sake, let us help you by you helping yourselves.’”
 
 
ATFL Perspective
Since the beginning of the demonstrations and in our report after visiting Lebanon this past summer, ATFL has called on the Lebanese government to adopt economic, social, and political policies that strengthen society and the economic well-being of its citizens. The points raised by the ISG are a critical to-do list for the government, starting with the formation of a government to oversee the restructuring and revamping of policies and projects.
 
The impoverishment of many people in Lebanon, now over half living in poverty, is a crisis that cannot be ignored. Actions must be taken in short order that directly address needs in sanitation, water resources, power, telecommunications, and adequate stocks of food, medicine, and fuel. ATFL calls on international aid agencies to prioritize programs that provide emergency food and other vital supplies to the Lebanese people.
 
We commend the demonstrators and the LAF and ISF for the largely peaceful nature of the protests, which are remarkable, cutting across all sects, ages, and regions of Lebanon. And we support the ISG’s statement calling for a government that is “committed to dissociate the country from regional tensions and crisis,” which are a diversion from the first priority of the country – the well-being of its people, a free society, and competent governance at all levels.
 
This past weekend’s troubling protests and reactions by the security forces demonstrate that the longer the stalemate remains the potential for violence increases. The postponement once again of the vote for Prime Minister is a clear indicator that change, significant change, in the leadership must be authentic and durable.
 
ATFL remains committed to ensuring that Lebanon’s relationship with the US remains a priority and that the US remains an active partner in safeguarding and enhancing the lives of the Lebanese people.

---

[i] The ISG is co-chaired by France and the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon. Attending the meeting were China, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the European Union, the International Monetary Fund, the League of Arab States, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and a delegation from the Lebanese government.