US official, Kahwagi discuss military support

Visiting Lebanon Friday, US Special Operations Command Central commander Maj. Gen. Ken Tovo discussed with senior Lebanese Army officials the continued military cooperation between the two countries. According to a statement released by the American Embassy, Tovo met Friday with Lebanese Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi and other senior Army officers. Among the forms of cooperation discussed by the generals was SOCCENT’s role in helping to train and equip the Lebanese Army’s Special Operations Forces, the embassy’s statement said. It also said Tovo highlighted SOCCENT’s support for Lebanon’s efforts to fulfill its commitments under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, and commended the Army’s work to maintain calm in the country as well as security along the state’s border with Syria. Security Council Resolution 1701 brought to an end Israel’s summer 2006 war against Lebanon. Finally, the statement said, Tovo “renewed the commitment of the United States to a stable, sovereign and independent Lebanon.” From DailyStar