President Sleiman’s Aide On Withdrawal Of US Assistance To Military

Nazem El Khoury is one of the President’s top aides:

It is in the interest of those who claim to defend Lebanon’s sovereignty that Lebanon have a strong army [..] It is time the Lebanese army be adequately armed, and we are counting on the friends of Lebanon to help the army.

It’s very interesting to compare Mr. Khoury’s appeal to that of Mohammed Shatah (Hariri’s aide). To Mr. Shatah, it was about “asserting state authority” (controlling Hezbollah), to Mr. khoury, it’s an appeal to consistency. A way of saying: The Americans say they want Lebanese sovereignty, but when the Lebanese assert that very sovereignty, they’re being punished.

What I find most intriguing is the part about counting on the friends of Lebanon to help the army. Is this a subtle threat? A way of saying “we have other friends that would love to fill in”?