(Washington, DC) - Congressman Gary L. Ackerman (D- Queens / Long Island), the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia issued the following statement today in response to the elections in Lebanon:

“The people of Lebanon have won a tremendous victory and set their nation’s course toward a future of prosperity, stability and peace.

Lebanon’s destiny is for the people of Lebanon to decide, not anyone else. And yesterday, the people of Lebanon spoke their will and the results must be honored and respected. Ballots, not bullets were the means of change yesterday, and I hope they will remain forever the sole method of deciding political questions.

These elections hold out the hope that Lebanon will be what we all know it can be: a place that respects all the different voices and religions and convictions within it; a nation that exists with one foot in the West and the other in the Arab world. And most of all, that Lebanon can simply be a normal country and not a battleground for outside powers.

I look forward to working with the new Lebanese government to support its efforts to establish its authority throughout the nation, to develop its capacity for governance, and to strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces to ensure the nation’s security.

But today is a day for celebration and I extend my warmest congratulations to the government and the people of Lebanon. The day is coming, I hope, when all of Lebanon’s children can grow up without fear of war or political violence.”

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