The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri is expected to meet U.S. Vice President Joe Biden Friday on the fourth day of his visit to the U.S., where he is holding a series of meetings with American officials to garner support for Lebanon.

Hariri’s several-day trip, which began Tuesday, comes at a time when Lebanon struggles to shield itself from the regional turmoil, particularly the repercussions of a four-year civil war in neighboring Syria.

The Future Movement leader Thursday met separately with Congresswoman Kay Granger and Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. The former prime minister’s office issued no statement on the two meetings.

Late Wednesday, Hariri urged Washington to act quickly to help Lebanon ease the burden of the Syrian refugee crisis on the country.

“The issue of the Syrian refugees can cause big problems in the absence of a quick solution to the Syrian crisis, which should be a concern of the U.S. administration and a top priority in order to avoid repercussions and severe damage to Lebanon and the region,” Hariri said during a meeting at the Capitol with members of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee.

The meeting focused on the situation in Lebanon and the Middle East region, a statement from Hariri’s office said Thursday.

It said Hariri also met with the House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senator John McCain, Representative Mike Pompeo and Representative Ed Royce.

“During the meeting, members of the committee asked [Hariri] a number of questions about the aspects of the Iranian interference in the Arab countries and their negative impact on the situation in the region in general,” the statement said.

Hariri’s visit, according to the statement, is “related to providing elements of protection for Lebanon from the regional repercussions.”

“The meeting tackled the importance of the support that the United States could offer to the Lebanese Army,” it added.

The statement said the committee praised the role that Hariri and his late father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, played in establishing the rules of democracy in Lebanon and maintaining the values of coexistence between the Lebanese.

Hariri also discussed “the various topics of interest to Lebanon at this stage” with House Majority Leader McCarthy, Senator McCain and Representative Pompeo.

Last week, Hariri paid a visit to Doha during which he held talks with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on the latest developments in the region, especially the Saudi-led airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

In March, the head of the Future Movement held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on visits aimed at reaffirming support for moderation in the face of Islamist extremism roiling the Middle East.