On its 20th anniversary, the Lebanese Armed Forces Relief Program calls for increased aid to the Lebanese Army

The Lebanese American Renaissance Partnership (LARP) on Friday stressed the importance of “increasing military aid to the Lebanese Army and security forces, and the need to disarm Hezbollah as part of an approach to restore full sovereignty,” according to a statement relayed by the National News Agency.

The association, which says it is dedicated to “promoting public policies and targeted programs” to bridge “the gap between Lebanon and its diaspora,” marked its 20th anniversary in Washington, D.C., with a day that included a meeting at the U.S. Congress and a gala dinner “with the participation of senior American officials, diplomats, military leaders, Lebanese figures and members of the diaspora.” Those in attendance included Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, and former U.S. ambassador to Lebanon David Hale.

LARP also underscored “the need to link disarmament to the reconstruction of social and institutional consensus, in a context where a narrow but real window of opportunity is opening for the state to strengthen its authority.”