U.S. Withholds Support for New Lebanon Government Dion Nissenbaum and Nazih Osseiran/The Wall Street Journal/January 23/2020 ولستريت جورنال: الولايات المتحدة تحجب المساعدات عن حكومة لبنان الجديدة
BEIRUT—Lebanon’s new government received a tepid welcome on Wednesday as police used water cannons to prevent protesters from marching on parliament and the Trump administration said it wasn’t certain it would work with the coalition dominated by Iranian ally Hezbollah and its Christian allies.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo withheld support for Lebanon’s government as it met for the first time in hopes of ending a deepening economic crisis. Asked in a Bloomberg News interview if the U.S. would work with a government dominated by Hezbollah, one of Iran’s most important allies in the Middle East, Mr. Pompeo demurred.
“I don’t know the answer to that yet,” he said. “We’re prepared to engage, provide support, but only to a government that’s committed to reform.”
Mr. Pompeo and top Trump administration officials have pressed the Lebanese government for years to sideline Hezbollah political leaders. But Hezbollah is a dominant military and political force with grass roots support in Lebanon, securing its influence and stature inside the country.
After weeks of nationwide protests brought down Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a weakened political leader supported by Saudi Arabia and the U.S., Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun tapped Hassan Diab, a relatively unknown university professor backed by Hezbollah, to lead the new government.
Mr. Diab unveiled his cabinet on Tuesday after a weekend of street protests devolved into outbursts of violence with police firing rubber bullets at demonstrators and activists smashing windows around the capital.
The protests and political uncertainty have rattled Lebanon, where the currency is collapsing, power outages are increasing, businesses are closing, and no one is eager to swoop with a financial bailout for the country.
“We are facing the most difficult and dangerous stage in the history of Lebanon,” Mr. Diab said during his government’s first session on Wednesday. “We are facing a disaster.”
Trump administration officials have been considering cutting off aid to the new government amid concerns about Hezbollah’s influence, according to U.S. officials. Last year, without public announcement, the U.S. temporarily suspended more than $200 million in military and economic aid to Lebanon as it pushed the previous government to sideline Hezbollah.
Across Lebanon, demonstrations have been united in their call for an overhaul of the fractured political system and a clean sweep of longtime leaders from all ruling parties, including both those supported by America and those aligned with Iran.
On Wednesday, Mr. Pompeo pointed to the continuing protests as a reason to be wary of working with the new government.
“The protests taking place today in Lebanon are saying to Hezbollah ‘No Mas.’ No more,” he said. “We want a noncorrupt government that reflects the will of the people of Lebanon.”
Later in the day, Mr. Pompeo suggested that international aid would be contingent upon the Lebanese government’s ability to enact reforms needed to pull the economy out of a tailspin.
“The test of Lebanon’s new government will be its actions and its responsiveness to the demands of the Lebanese people to implement reforms and to fight corruption,” he said in a statement that did not specifically mention Hezbollah. “Only a government that is capable of and committed to undertaking real and tangible reforms will restore investor confidence and unlock international assistance for Lebanon.”
The European Union appeared to offer more support by trumpeting its “strong partnership” with Lebanon and describing the new government’s formation as “an essential step” in resolving the country’s problems.
On Wednesday, security forces again used tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators trying to march on parliament. They also erected a metal fence that blocked demonstrators.
“We are not scared, we are not scared,” a group of young men chanted as they made their way through the crowd toward the barricades.
Activists tore down tiles from surrounding buildings using metal roads and hammers and then threw them at police. Demonstrators said the new government didn’t satisfy their calls for a technocratic government capable of enacting widespread reforms.
The new cabinet includes no members from Mr. Hariri’s Sunni party or the country’s Christian Lebanese Forces political group.
“We don’t want a one-colored government,” one protester said, referring to the lack of political representation from rival parties. “We want a cabinet on our terms. We want one like our own minds, not like them.”
