"We do not work for you, nor should you expect us to form your government, as this is your internal matter," said US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shia in response to media and political figures who assume that the United States operates at their behest and that they dictate its policies.
The Lebanese newspaper Al-Jumhuriah reported today on the American ambassador's statements regarding her country's position on government formation and negotiations regarding the border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel. According to Al-Jumhuriah, Ambassador Shia addressed one of the officials she recently met by stating that the United States is "a country of institutions and strategies, and thus the core of our policies is stable, but the approaches may change."
Regarding the political crisis in Lebanon, Shia emphasized the urgency of forming a government, highlighting that this is "an internal matter, and do not expect us to form your government." She noted that "some Lebanese politicians and media figures assume we work for them and that they dictate our policies to the point that this has become a source of ridicule among the diplomats concerned with the Lebanon and Syria desk at the State Department, especially when this group decides on sanctions on our behalf, determines their timing, and selects which individuals will be sanctioned while excluding others."
According to insiders, Shia did not comment (neither closely nor distantly) on the issue of Hezbollah's participation in the government, which may suggest that Washington does not dictate who enters or exits the government.
Furthermore, the newspaper reported that Shia called for expediting the border demarcation process in conjunction with the new US administration taking office by activating the negotiations in Naqoura.
Shia revealed that "the new US administration under President Joe Biden needs time to organize its affairs," noting the decline in the number of State Department employees from 18,000 to 13,000 during the previous period, which could affect the attention given to some files.
