Treasury Under Secretary David Cohen Visits Lebanon

March 20, 2012
U.S. Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen visited Lebanon today and met with Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Bank of Lebanon Governor Riad Salameh, and a number of representatives from the Lebanese banking community.  This is Under Secretary Cohen's first visit to Lebanon.
In his meetings, Under Secretary Cohen discussed the steps Lebanon should take to ensure a transparent and well-regulated financial sector for Lebanon's continued prosperity.  He also stressed the need for authorities to protect the Lebanese financial sector from potential attempts to evade U.S. and international financial sanctions.  He reiterated the U.S. view that it is important to ensure that the current instability in Syria does not undermine the Lebanese financial sector. 
He renewed the commitment of the United States to a stable, sovereign and independent Lebanon.