Announcement of Additional United States Humanitarian Assistance for Lebanon

The President today decided that the United States should provide an additional $10 million in humanitarian relief to persons affected by the strife in Lebanon. These funds will come from existing appropriations. They are in addition to the $5 million the President made available last week and the $20 million the President has requested from Congress.

Earlier this week, the President appointed Peter McPherson, Administrator of the Agency for International Development, as his personal representative for U.S. disaster assistance to Lebanon. Mr. McPherson is reviewing the U.S. Lebanon relief efforts with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Javier Perez de Cuellar, this afternoon in New York.