In a reception hosted at his Residence. British Ambassador to Lebanon Hugo Shorter appointed retired Brigadier General Maroun Hitti an Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for services to Security in the Levant.
The MBE award was made in recognition of General Hitti’s unwavering commitment to Lebanon’s sovereignty and security. As Director of Operations in the Lebanese Armed Forces, later as Deputy Chief of Staff for Lebanese military planning, and now as the Prime Minister’s Defence and Security Advisor, Brigadier General Maroun Hitti has been instrumental in creating the excellent defence relationship between the Lebanese Armed Forces and the UK, in particular in the design and implementation of the long-running project to create four LAF Land Border Regiments and build over 70 towers and operating basis on Lebanon’s border with Syria.
At the award ceremony, Ambassador Shorter said: «It is one of the greatest honors of an ambassador to perform this duty, on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II herself. General Hitti was instrumental in fostering the excellent cooperation between Lebanon and the UK. From 2011, with support from the British government, he was a central actor in designing and implementing the enormously successful Lebanon border security project. This ensured Lebanon was able to secure and defend its borders with Syria for the first time in its history.»
Upon receiving the award General Hitti said:«I am honoured by this distinction and what we have achieved, but I did not do it alone; I was assisted by many courageous men. What is important for me as a Lebanese is that we put the authority of the State on that border area where the state has been absent since Independence. The border project is an investment by the British people-it did not come as a manna from heaven but through the labor and the sweat of the British tax payers. We’re really grateful for that, and we acknowledge it.»
