An Arab and international push towards supporting Lebanon

Youssef Diab wrote in Asharq Al-Awsat:

The election of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and the nomination of President-designate Nawaf Salam to form the first government of the new era constitutes the subject of unprecedented Arab and international interest, and this is translated by the visits initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron to Beirut, on Friday, to congratulate President Aoun and the president-designate.

While the Foreign Minister of Spain and the European Union, José Manuel Albarez, toured Lebanese officials on Wednesday, coinciding with similar meetings with the Danish Foreign Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, is scheduled to arrive in Beirut on Saturday, and then Arab and foreign officials will begin arriving. The Lebanese capital, starting next week.

The former Lebanese ambassador to Washington, Antoine Chedid, said, “Lebanon is very important to the region and the world, and the changes that are taking place now in Lebanon are part of the changes that are taking place at the regional level.” He stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that “international interest in Lebanon did not begin today, but rather crystallized during the recent Israeli war, and the United States, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and France had the largest role in reaching the ceasefire decision.” Ambassador Shadid pointed out that “stability in Lebanon and the regularity of constitutional work are a very important issue for establishing stability in the region, and this was demonstrated by the election of the President of the Republic and the launching of the process of forming the government.”

A guarantee of help and peace
The President of the Republic and the Prime Minister-designate now constitute the guarantee that the state’s journey will be launched and that the clock will not turn back. Ambassador Antoine Chedid recalled that “the visit of the French President is the beginning of the visits of a number of international and Arab leaders; “To express absolute support for the Lebanese state, with its president, government, army, and constitutional institutions.” He said: “We are facing a stage of unprecedented international support for the Covenant and the state, and what is important is for Lebanon to receive this support positively, and I believe that what President Aoun announced before the delegations that visited him, about an international Arab attack towards Lebanon to provide support and assistance in the state-building process, expresses the truth that President Aoun knows what Lebanon expects from its brothers and friends in the next stage.

For his part, former Minister Rashid Derbas considered that “the international interest in Lebanon clearly indicates that Lebanon has emerged from the state of turmoil and security imbalance, and is no longer a platform for sabotage of the security of the region.” He said in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the visit of the French president and the subsequent influx of Arab and international leaders to Beirut gives the impression of a return of confidence to the Lebanese as soon as they elected a president for the country and formed a government,” noting that “this openness is a prelude to helping Lebanon invest.” In the factors of safety, development, conflict mitigation, and emergence from nihilism and chaos.”

He said: “The arrival of President Macron or other international figures is evidence that they have become partners with the Lebanese in building states and their institutions, and are involved in the process of turning Lebanon blind to the diseases that were plaguing it.”

Some read these visits as interference in Lebanese affairs, but Derbas saw that “some Lebanese, specifically the Shiite duo, did not read the changes in the region or the fluctuations in the balance of power, but rather insisted on an enthusiastic, blinding speech,” pointing out that “when this team had (The Shiite duo) had the right to a strong partnership in naming the President of the Republic and forming the government. They rejected all offers and insisted on wasting opportunities, until options were imposed on them by Abroad,” hoping to “end the stage of wasting opportunities for the country and violating the constitution under the pretext of preserving sovereignty, under the pretext of which we have become at enmity with all brothers and friends, and the claims of liberating Palestine and the saying that Israel is weaker than a spider’s web.”

An unsuspecting Shiite boycott
The boycott of the consultations by the two Shiite duo blocs (Amal and Hezbollah) reflected a negative atmosphere on the eve of the influx of international and Arab officials into Lebanon. Political analyst Tawfiq Hindi saw that “the option that the Shiite duo made of boycotting the non-binding consultations is not reassuring and does not meet the will of the Lebanese at home and the will of our brothers and friends at home.” abroad,” expressing his regret at how “this team announces its boycott of non-binding consultations, and at the same time confirms its desire to participate in the government,” stressing However, “the oath speech delivered by President Joseph Aoun came in line with the hopes of the Lebanese people, and represented a glimmer of hope for the countries of the world, and this was matched by the words of President-designate Nawaf Salam from the Republican Palace when he laid out the broad outlines of the state-building project.”