Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil received on Wednesday a delegation of the American Task Force for Lebanon, on behalf of whom Ambassador Edward Gabriel explained that "the team consists of a group of Americans of Lebanese origin, prominent in the USA circles."

"We met with Minister Bassil today to discuss matters of importance to the United States within the framework of bilateral relations with Lebanon. He has briefed us on issues related to Lebanon and we will relay those issues to the United States and express our opinion thereon as Americans of Lebanese origin," he said, noting that talks had touched on the issue of displaced persons, the recent parliamentary elections and beyond, and the process of forming the government and attracting investment from the United States to Lebanon and the conditions for that.

"Lebanon is the land of our ancestors and we are proud to visit it and open a channel for such dialogue. (...) We have discussed with Minister Bassil the means to maintain good relations between the two countries."

In response to a question, Gabriel said that discussions also touched on the banking sector and the Lebanese army.

"Lebanese expatriates, especially those living in the United States, are among the most prominent and successful figures in the world. They have investments worth billions of dollars. What we will do is encourage them to invest in Lebanon and provide a safe environment for that," he said.

"We are concerned about the enormous pressure put on Lebanon while hosting the displaced and we need to find ways, consistent with international laws, to support Lebanon's efforts for humanitarian assistance and a solution to this crisis," Gabriel said. "Minister Bassil told us today that he does not ask for anything illegal, but wants to stay under the ceiling of the law and thus asks for accountability within the framework of the UN agencies, and our team supports such accountability. We will do our best to support State institutions in Lebanon and their every effort in this field."

On a different note, Bassil met with the Director and Regional Representative of the United Nations Program in the West Asian Environment Office, Sami Dimassi, and tackled with him environmental cooperation between Lebanon and the United Nations.