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US re-opens consulate in Beirut after 19 years
Beirut, May 31: The United States has reopened its consulate in Beirut, nearly 20 years since its closure after a suicide bomb attack on the embassy compound during Lebanon`s civil war.
Beirut, May 31: The United States has reopened its consulate in Beirut, nearly 20 years since its closure after a suicide bomb attack on the embassy compound during Lebanon's civil war.
The consulate in the heavily fortified US Embassy compound in Aukar, a hilly district north of Beirut, will spare Lebanese having to travel to Syria or Cyprus to apply for visas.
US embassy spokeswoman Candace Putnam said yesterday the consulate's reopening reflected an improved security situation within Lebanon, especially since the end of the bloody 1975-1990 civil war. ``It's an indication that relations between US and Lebanon are back to normal,'' Putnam said.
The consulate closure occurred during ``a time of war, and now is a time of peace,'' she added. It was shut in October 1984, a month after a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into the embassy compound, killing himself and 14 others. The embassy moved to the suburb after the main building on Beirut's Ein Mreisseh waterfront also was devastated by a suicide bombing in April 1983 in which 63 people, including 17 Americans, were killed.
US ambassador to Lebanon Vincent battle and US Rep. Darrell Issa opened the consulate during a ceremony attended by Lebanon's public works and tourism ministers. Bureau Report
US embassy spokeswoman Candace Putnam said yesterday the consulate's reopening reflected an improved security situation within Lebanon, especially since the end of the bloody 1975-1990 civil war. ``It's an indication that relations between US and Lebanon are back to normal,'' Putnam said.
The consulate closure occurred during ``a time of war, and now is a time of peace,'' she added. It was shut in October 1984, a month after a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into the embassy compound, killing himself and 14 others. The embassy moved to the suburb after the main building on Beirut's Ein Mreisseh waterfront also was devastated by a suicide bombing in April 1983 in which 63 people, including 17 Americans, were killed.
US ambassador to Lebanon Vincent battle and US Rep. Darrell Issa opened the consulate during a ceremony attended by Lebanon's public works and tourism ministers. Bureau Report