US Embassy corrects media reports of Welch’s “hot summer” statement

 

The American Embassy in Beirut issued a correction of a statement allegedly made by US Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs David Welch.
 
The US Embassy said Welch said that the Lebanese had “expressed their concern that the tourist sector may suffer again this summer because of the tension in the country” in response to a question about his trip to Lebanon, instead of warning that Lebanon would have a “hot summer,” as many media outlets reported.

 

The embassy said Welch had conveyed the Lebanese people’s concern that they would have “another difficult summer” with a bad tourism season because of the tension in the country.