Kaag to Travel to Saudi Arabia, Iran to Discuss Lebanon Crises
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The United Nations Security Council is expected to issue a new statement to confirm its unanimity to safeguard Lebanon and its stability in face of the growing terrorist threats as U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag is set to head to Saudi Arabia and Iran to reach a breakthrough on the presidential stalemate.
According to An Nahar newspaper published on Thursday, U.N. Assistant-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet and Kaag briefed the Security Council's five permanent members -- the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France – during a closed meeting on U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon's report on the implementation of resolution 1701.
France's Ambassador to the U.N. François Delattre considered the discussions “fruitful and detailed.”
Delattre said that the Security Council members expressed readiness to continue their countries' staunch support to Lebanon to combat the increasing challenges, including the spread of terrorism.
They also stressed the importance of electing a new head of state as soon as possible to enable the state to deal with the social, economic and security challenges.
MPs failed for the 20th time last week to elect a new head of state over lack of quorum. President Michel Suleiman's term ended in May without the election of a successor.
Hizbullah and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc have been boycotting electoral sessions due to a disagreement with the March 14 camp over a compromise presidential candidate.
Delattre said that his country proposed a presidential statement by the Security Council to underline the situation in Lebanon, voicing the unanimity of the permanent members in order to convince the political rivals in Lebanon to unite.
For her part, Kaag described the meeting as “comprehensive and essential,” noting that discussions focused on the importance of electing a new head of state.
She expressed solidarity with the Lebanese army, in particular along the country's eastern border where the military is frequently clashing with Islamist militants to prevent them from advancing into the country.
Kaag also lauded the efforts exerted by Prime Minister Tammam Salam to safeguard the country.
“The unity of the Security Council is of utmost necessity and linked to efforts to isolate Lebanon from the repercussions of the Syrian turmoil.”
The U.N. official said that she discussed with several officials and Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi the possibility of increasing support to Lebanon.
“I look forward to visit Saudi Arabia and Iran soon to continue the discussions,” Kaag remarked to An Nahar.
H.K.
G.K.
19 March 2015, 12:21
10
Between Michel Aoun, Sayed Hassan, the FPM and Hezbollah, since 2005, they've done everything in their possible and impossible to bring Lebanon down on its knees. had we in those hopeful days after Syria was booted out of Lebanon, had they joined us in national reconciliation for a united Lebanon, for a prosperous, stable, peaceful and vibrant Lebanon, today we would all have been a country that needed no one's help. But since 2005, let's have a look at what these two evil groups have done, taking us form bad to worse and from worse to worst. I am in no doubt now that the FPM and Hezbollah have an agenda to kill Lebanon for good. let not one yellow or orange partisan come and blare anymore nonsense to defend their parties, 10 years on this country is hard to recognize thanks to them.
19 March 2015, 19:58
00
The UN Security Counci is united in its conviction that the Shia majority in Lebanon must be prevented from exercising its rights by all means whatsoever.
Is that Kaag's understanding? Is it also her understanding that her brief under that understanding in the SC is legal in any sense?
I suppose, if she regards the self-appointed king in Saudi Arabia as being as legitimate as the democratically elected chief executive of Iran, she really has no criteria of legitimacy. So she is the lick-spittle for totalitarian rule, with a nice per diem. She is looking forward to a nice academic career after she makes the world safe for totalitarianism, nicely.
