Speeches

Arrival of U.S. Wheat Shipment - Port of Beirut

Jan. 24, 2006

I am pleased to come on board the S.S. Marie Flood to inspect the second of this year’s two donations of American wheat grain, which arrived at the Port of Beirut, yesterday. The shipment is a gift from the American people, made available through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the people of Lebanon. The wheat, totaling 12000 metric tons, will be sold on the open market in the coming weeks. Proceeds from the sale—amounting to approximately 2.3 million U.S. dollars—will be used to support education and nutrition programs for school children in impoverished areas in Lebanon.

With this American financial support, our partner International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) carries out a range of programs benefiting more than 46,000 children throughout Lebanon, including Hasbaya, Bint Jbeil, Marjeyoun, Tyre and Jezzine in the south; Akkar, Tripoli, Zgharta and Koura and Batroun in the north, as well as Greater Beirut. The United States will provide IOCC with an additional $5 million U.S. dollars to cover costs of the program, implemented in partnership with the Lebanese Ministry of Education.

This is the fourth year the people of Lebanon have benefited from this U.S. Government-funded program. What it means, specifically, is that Lebanese children in the poorest areas of the country can attend school, receive health care and enjoy a mid-morning snack each day of the school year. Our American gift is an investment in the future of Lebanon and to its most vulnerable citizens, school children. What this gift also represents is the firm, enduring and non-negotiable commitment of the United States to Lebanon and the Lebanese people.

As U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, I am proud that this wheat, harvested from America’s fertile and productive lands, can contribute to the growth and development of Lebanon’s younger generation. With seeds planted in United States, the wheat you see today will finance programs that enable Lebanese children, from all of this country’s rich diversity of communities, to learn, grow and thrive. And with the courage and determination of the Lebanese people, the country they inherit will offer a secure, prosperous and hopeful future.

During this period of great opportunity and historic transformation in Lebanon, the United States stands with the Lebanese people as they work to achieve their aspirations for a strong, united and democratic Lebanon. On this journey, I can assure you that your American friends will be supporting you each step of the way.