Miqati: Doha Visit Helped Reinvigorate Lebanese-Qatari Ties

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati hailed on Wednesday ties between Lebanon and Qatar, saying that they are among the strongest foreign relations enjoyed by Lebanon.

He thanked Qatar for its role in supporting Lebanon in various fields, saying: “This visit helped reinvigorate Lebanese-Qatari relations.”

He made his remarks at the end of his one-day official visit to Doha where he met a number of Qatari officials, including Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, head of the Emiri Diwan Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, and Minister of Economy and Trade Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassem al-Thani.

Miqati held a closed-door meeting with the Qatari Emir, which lasted about a 15 minutes.

He thanked Qatar for helping Lebanon in releasing the Lebanese pilgrims who were held in Syria's Aazaz region for over a year and its efforts in seeking the release of Bishops Youhanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yazigi, who were kidnapped by armed men in Syria in April, and Lebanese journalist Samir al-Kassab, who was also abducted in Syria.

Sheikh Tamim had promised Lebanese authorities to resolve the case of the bishops.

The prime minister's discussions with the Qatari Emir also tackled the Lebanese diaspora in the Gulf state and support for Lebanon in hosting Syrian refugees.

The Premier was accompanied on his trip by caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, caretaker Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour, caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, caretaker Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas, and General Security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim.

Miqati's one-day trip to Qatar came a few hours after the caretaker PM returned to Beirut from Paris.

His visit to Doha is the first leg of a tour to Arab countries that includes Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to shore up support for a proposal to house Syrian refugees in Syrian territories on the border with Lebanon.

Miqati's proposal calls for a pledge by the Syrian regime and rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad to guarantee the safety of the refugees after Lebanon's ability to host them and provide humanitarian support to them became crippled due to the country's deteriorating economic conditions.

Ibrahim had played an important role in securing a three-way exchange deal reached last month to release the Lebanese pilgrims.

It saw Syrian rebels release nine Lebanese pilgrims held for 17 months. Two Turkish pilots held since August were also released in Beirut. The Syrian government has also freed scores of jailed women.

The deal was brokered by Qatar and the Palestinian Authority.

Nahhas also told al-Joumhouria newspaper on Wednesday that the visit to Qatar is part of a series of meetings that Lebanese officials are holding with their counterparts in several countries to shore up financial support to confront the burden of Syrian refugees.