Lebanon denies US Secy of State kept waiting at palace

BEIRUT: The Lebanese presidency denied that USSecretary of State Rex Tillerson had been kept waiting ahead of a meeting with President Michel Aoun on Thursday at the presidential palace, where he sat for several minutes before his Lebanese counterpart greeted him.

TV footage showed Tillerson sitting in a room alongside an empty seat before Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil walked in and shook his hand. The Lebanese president´s office denied any departure from diplomatic protocol. Rafic Chlela, head of the media office, said Tillerson had arrived a few minutes earlier than expected and the meeting began on time. Tillerson is in Lebanon, a major recipient of US military aid, as part of a regional tour. “Mr President, thank you for the warm welcome and the open, frank, and productive discussion,” Tillerson wrote in the Lebanese palace´s visitors book.