IB89118
Lebanon
February 16, 2005

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Summary

The United States and Lebanon continue to enjoy good relations. Prominent current issues between the United States and Lebanon include progress toward a Lebanon-Israel peace treaty, U.S. aid to Lebanon, and Lebanon's capacity to stop Hizballah militia attacks on Israel. The United States supports Lebanon's independence and favored the end of Israeli and Syrian occupation of parts of Lebanon. Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon on May 23, 2000, and three recent withdrawals have reduced the Syrian military presence from 30,000 to 16,000. A large Lebanese-American community follows U.S.-Lebanon relations closely. Presidents Eisenhower and Reagan said the United States had "vital" interests in Lebanon, but others might describe U.S. interests in Lebanon as less than vital. At the invitation of the Lebanese government, the United States intervened in Lebanon to defend Lebanese sovereignty in 1958 and 1982. In a Beirut terror bombing in October 1983, 241 U.S. armed forces personnel died. From 1987 until July 1997, the United States banned travel to Lebanon because of the threat of kidnaping and dangers from the ongoing civil war. Lebanon is rebuilding after the 1975-1990 civil war. According to estimates, more than 100,000 people died, another 200,000 were wounded, 250,000 emigrated to avoid the fighting, and as many as one-third of the 3 million population were refugees in the Lebanon civil war. Syrian armed forces, invited into Lebanon in 1976 to prevent a Muslim attack on the Christians, continue to occupy the northern and eastern parts of the country. Israeli forces invaded southern Lebanon in 1982 and occupied a 10-mile-wide strip along the Israel-Lebanon border until May 23, 2000. Lebanon's government is based in part on a 1943 agreement that called for a Maronite Christian President, a Sunni Muslim Prime Minister, and a Shia Muslim Speaker of the National Assembly, and stipulated that the National Assembly seats and civil service jobs be distributed according to a ratio of 6 Christians to 5 Muslims. On August 21, 1990, the Lebanon National Assembly adopted the "Taif" reforms (named after the Saudi Arabian city where they were negotiated). The parliament was increased to 128 to be divided evenly between Christians and Muslim-Druze, presidential authority was decreased, and the Speaker's and the Prime Minister's authority was increased. President Ilyas Hirawi signed the constitutional amendment implementing the reforms on September 21, 1990. Lebanon held elections for the National Assembly in 1992 and again in 1996. In the 1996 election, the extreme left and the extreme right lost to moderates, but the moderate victory also was a victory for Syria, which supported moderate, and not extremist, candidates. Speaker Birri and Prime Minister Hariri each controlled blocs of about 20 seats. The National Assembly elected Emile Lahud President on October 15, 1998. Other CRS reports on Lebanon include CRS Issue Brief IB92075, Syria: U.S. Relations and Bilateral Issues.

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