Lebanese-American Coordination Committee Delivers Memorandum to Foreign Minister Raji: Here Is What It Says

A delegation from the "Lebanese-American Coordination Committee" (LACC) met in Washington with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Youssef Raji. The meeting covered developments in the Lebanese situation from all aspects. The delegation provided a detailed presentation on the objectives of establishing the committee, which includes several Lebanese-American organizations with a long history of working with decision-making centers in America to support the Lebanese cause: the Lebanese Information Center (LIC), the American Lebanese Policy Institute (ALPI-PAC), Assembly for Lebanon (AFL), Lebanese American Renaissance Partnership (LARP), Lebanese for Lebanon (LFLF), World Lebanese Cultural Union (WLCU), along with the Civil Influence Hub (CIH) as the committee's advisory organization. In addition to efforts made with the US administration, Congress, and Senate to support the Lebanese cause, the committee renewed its backing for efforts aimed at restoring the authority of the Lebanese state, consolidating sovereignty, strengthening constitutional institutions, and advancing the path of reform to achieve lasting stability, recovery, and peace, especially during this critical phase that Lebanon is going through.

According to the committee's statement, Minister Raji presented to the delegation the results of talks held with US officials, particularly with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and several members of Congress, as well as the outcome of meetings in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. He also discussed the results of the prominent meeting he held at the White House with US Deputy National Security Advisor Mike Nidham.

The coordination committee delegation included May Al-Rihani, head of the Washington office of the "World Lebanese Cultural Union," Dr. Elie Samaha, president of the "Lebanese Information Center," and Ambassador Walid Maalouf, representing the "Lebanese American Renaissance Partnership." The committee handed Minister Raji a memorandum proposing three strategic paths to establish a sovereign, free, independent, just, and democratic state based on the principle of equal citizenship, where all Lebanese men and women enjoy equal rights and responsibilities under the rule of law, and where constitutional institutions exercise their authority without any duality in legitimacy.

Below is the text of the memorandum:

"The Lebanese-American Coordination Committee (LACC) renews its support for government efforts to restore the authority of the Lebanese state, consolidate sovereignty, strengthen constitutional institutions, and advance the path of reform to achieve lasting stability, recovery, and peace. The Lebanese communities abroad, particularly the Lebanese-American community, are a strategic national asset; through their relationships, political connections, and professional, intellectual, and economic capabilities, they can enhance Lebanon's relations with the United States and mobilize continuous support for its legitimate institutions. The committee works to transform these potentials into coordinated action by engaging with the US administration, the Senate and House of Representatives, research and study centers, business leaders, and Lebanese-American organizations. These efforts must remain grounded in the full implementation of the Lebanese Constitution and the Taif Agreement, as they constitute the framework for rebuilding the state and renewing the national pact. Our goal is the establishment of a sovereign, free, independent, just, and democratic state based on the principle of equal citizenship, where all Lebanese men and women enjoy equal rights and responsibilities under the rule of law, where constitutional institutions exercise their authority without any duality in legitimacy, and where the public interest prevails over sectarian, partisan, or external considerations. Sovereignty, citizenship, justice, and institutional reform form the foundations of a state capable of protecting its citizens, preserving pluralism and coexistence, guaranteeing freedoms and equality, and restoring Lebanon's role and credibility. Within this framework, the committee proposes three mutually reinforcing strategic paths.

First - Supporting the Lebanese-Israeli negotiation process under American sponsorship.

The Lebanese-American Coordination Committee (LACC) supports a state-led negotiation process between Lebanon and Israel, sponsored by the United States, through Lebanese constitutional institutions. This process must safeguard Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national interests,

address outstanding security and border issues, and establish a sustainable diplomatic and security framework that prevents the recurrence of regional confrontation cycles and creates conditions for achieving permanent peace. Through continuous engagement with policymakers and policy-making institutions in the United States, the LACC and Lebanese-American networks can encourage continued US diplomatic involvement, push for the cessation of hostilities and violations, and reach credible arrangements that ensure permanent security and stability. The strategic objective is to transition from a state of repeated confrontation and crisis management to a framework for interstate relations, where the Lebanese state is the sole interlocutor regarding issues of sovereignty, security, negotiations, war, and peace.

Second - Enforcing the exclusive authority of the state over weapons and decisions of war and peace.

The exercise of the state's exclusive authority over weapons and decisions of war and peace is indispensable for Lebanon's sovereignty, stability, institutional credibility, and economic recovery. This constitutes a constitutional commitment under the Lebanese Constitution and the Taif Agreement, whereby legitimate state institutions must be the only entities exercising sovereign power over all Lebanese territory. Cabinet decisions issued on August 5 and 7, 2025, and March 2, 2026, provide the governmental framework for implementing this principle. This requires, unequivocally, the completion of Hezbollah's handover of weapons to the Lebanese state and the dismantling of all its military and security structures existing outside the framework of legitimate state institutions. Decisions of war and peace must also remain the exclusive prerogative of the state and its constitutional institutions. The same principle applies, without exception, to Palestinian weapons inside and outside refugee camps; the collection and transfer of these weapons to the custody of the Lebanese state must be completed through a clear state-led process. The comprehensive national goal is to end all armed formations not affiliated with the state, whether Lebanese or non-Lebanese, and to entrench the state's status as the sole entity possessing legitimate military and security authority. The implementation process requires capable and effective institutions, foremost among them the Lebanese Armed Forces and legitimate security apparatuses, supported by sufficient resources and continuous international political and material assistance. The Lebanese-American Coordination Committee (LACC) and Lebanese-American organizations can mobilize US support for this process, advocate for continued aid to these institutions, and engage with think tanks and policy makers to bolster international endorsement. These advocacy efforts must affirm Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity and support the implementation of mutual international commitments. The goal is clear and evident: one state, one constitutional authority, one legitimate military and security framework, and one sovereign decision regarding war and peace.

Third - Accelerating economic reform and recovery and involving emigrants.

The process of restoring sovereignty must proceed alongside rebuilding state effectiveness and credibility. Sustainable stability requires effective institutions, an independent and efficient judiciary, principles of transparency and accountability, economic and financial reforms, modern public administration, and an environment conducive to productive investment. It also requires the implementation of pending constitutional reforms stipulated in the Taif Agreement to move forward towards building a state based on equal citizenship, institutional governance, and the rule of law, as sovereignty and reform are two integral pillars of a single national project. The economic, financial, professional, academic, technical, and entrepreneurial resources possessed by emigrants can make a substantial contribution to this endeavor. The Lebanese-American Coordination Committee (LACC) can enhance communication channels between the Lebanese government and Lebanese-American business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, professionals, academics, policy experts, and economic institutions. These links would support knowledge transfer, provision of investment opportunities, building institutional partnerships, and facilitating access to wider circles in the fields of economy and US politics. Priority should be given to reforms that restore local and international confidence, enhance institutional independence and effectiveness, improve governance, facilitate productive investment, and reconnect Lebanon with international financial and economic opportunities. The desired goal is to establish a sustainable partnership between the state and emigrants in diaspora countries, linking constitutional reform and good governance with recovery, investment, and the restoration of trust.

These three paths are interconnected and cannot be separated from each other. A sustainable negotiation process requires a sovereign state, sovereignty necessitates the extension of the state's exclusive authority over all weapons, and the effectiveness of state authority depends on capable constitutional institutions, reform, equal citizenship, economic recovery, and gaining the trust of the public and the international community. Based on the foundations of the Constitution and the Taif Agreement, the Lebanese-American Coordination Committee (LACC) can play the role of a strategic bridge connecting Lebanon and the United States regarding these priorities.

In this context, the committee places its services at the disposal of the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and affirms its full readiness to work closely with you and your team, particularly in the areas of communication with the United States and mobilizing Lebanese emigrant networks. We also welcome periodic coordination to identify common priorities, exchange policy assessments, and support the ministry's efforts in communicating with the US administration, Congress, Senate, relevant research and study centers, business and economic leaders, and Lebanese-American organizations. By leveraging our relationships, expertise, and advocacy capabilities to serve this cooperation, we seek to transform individual initiatives into sustained political, diplomatic, institutional, intellectual, and economic support for the state-building agenda in Lebanon and the full implementation of the Constitution and the Taif Agreement. Our commitment remains clear: a sovereign, free, independent, just, and democratic state based on the principle of equal citizenship; one state, one legitimate authority, stability and peace, reform and economic recovery."