Donors attending a conference in Sweden have pledged $940 million for Lebanon’s reconstruction, almost twice as much aid as organizers had hoped for. Although he said his country had sustained billions of dollars in damage, Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora expressed his “great appreciation” of the donors’ support.
During her surprise visit with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in Beirut on Monday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice “assured a largely powerless leader that America was sympathetic to the suffering of his people, though it has stopped short of pressuring Israel to let up on its campaign against militants.” (story—quote on p. 2)