Wednesday, June 13, 2007

"QUESTION: Do you intend to do anything further to try to strengthen the hand of Prime Minister Siniora, notably by providing additional military equipment?
MR. MCCORMACK: Well, we have the program of working with the Lebanese military that is ongoing. And that involves training, it involves equipping where we can help out, and also in the cases of extreme need, witness the Lebanese Armed Forces fighting in the -- over at -- fighting Islamic extremists around the Palestinian refugee camp around Tripoli, we're going to come to their assistance, as have others -- as have others interested in supporting the Siniora government. At this point, I don't know of any other planned programmatic assistance beyond what we have. We will, of course, if there are incidences of extremists, then we will attempt to come to their aid as we have done in the past.
Yeah.
QUESTION: What about the additional money you wanted to spend in this for Siniora? There was 30.6 million that were pending -- it was pending the approval of the Congress last Friday. And so since last Friday, the Congress didn't block this money. Did -- this money was --
MR. MCCORMACK: I'll have to check for you, Sylvie."