Lebanese President at UN General Assembly after 3-Year Absence

Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (NNA)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (NNA)
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Lebanese President at UN General Assembly after 3-Year Absence

Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (NNA)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (NNA)

After years of vacuum, a Lebanese president will take part in the United Nations General Assembly held in New York later this week.

President Michel Aoun traveled to New York on Sunday to attend the Assembly where he will highlight Lebanon as a country of coexistence in a region that is being torn apart by ethnic and sectarian division.

This marks the first time in three years that a Lebanese president takes part in the annual meeting.

Aoun will demand that Lebanon act as an international center for the dialogue of civilizations and religions. He will also stress the need for cooperation with international organizations in regards to aiding Syrian refugees. These organizations do not coordinate with the Lebanese government, but they directly provide their aid to the displaced.

In addition, Aoun will highlight the ongoing Israeli violations of UN resolution 1701.

On Lebanon as an international center for the dialogue of civilizations and religions, Change and Reform bloc MP Alain Aoun told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Our experience and message allows us to carry out this dialogue seeing as we are a successful example of coexistence between religions.”

This initiative stems from the war against terrorism, “which is a global one against an enemy that creates tensions between sects and poses a threat to societies,” explained the MP.

“We can defeat terrorism and extremism if efforts are united to that end,” he stressed.

Prior to his departure to the United States, President Aoun called on the Lebanese people to “remain vigilant and avoid falling for or spreading rumors.”

“Such ploys are part of a calculated attempt to steer attention away from the achievements that have been made to build the state,” he said.

He made his remarks in wake of security warnings that were made by various embassies in Lebanon over the weekend that warned of possible security unrest in the country. This consequently created a sense of tension and apprehension among the people.

The president is scheduled to meet in New York with UN chief Antonio Guterres, as well as a number of heads of state attending the General Assembly. The two leaders had met for the first time on the sidelines of the Arab League summit that was held in Jordan in March.



Lebanese Govt. to Seek New IMF Program, Policy Statement Says

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
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Lebanese Govt. to Seek New IMF Program, Policy Statement Says

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo

Lebanon's new government will negotiate with the International Monetary Fund for a new program and will work to deal with the country's financial default and public debt, according to a policy statement approved by the cabinet late on Monday.

The statement, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, said the government would work for an economical revival that could only be achieved through restructuring the banking sector.

Lebanon has been in deep economic crisis since 2019, when its financial system collapsed under the weight of massive state debts, prompting a sovereign default in 2020 and freezing ordinary depositors out of their savings in the banking system.

Beirut reached a draft funding deal with IMF in 2022 - contingent on reforms that authorities failed to deliver.

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, who took office as part of a new government agreed earlier this month, told Reuters an IMF mission is expected to visit Lebanon in March.

Jaber said he had met the IMF's resident representative in Lebanon, Frederico Lima, and confirmed that the government plans to move ahead with reforms.

Lebanon's political landscape has been turned on its head since the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, long a dominant player in Lebanese politics, was badly pummelled in last year's war with Israel.

Reflecting the shift in the power balance, the government policy statement did not include language used in previous years that was seen to legitimize a role for Hezbollah in defending Lebanon, saying instead "we want a state that has the decision of war and peace".

The statement said it was required to adopt a national security strategy and a foreign policy that works to 'neutralize' Lebanon from conflicts.

In the field of energy, the Lebanese government will seek to resume work in oil and gas exploration, according to the cabinet statement. It said the government planned to establish a Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence.

With a new administration in neighboring Syria, the statement said the Lebanese government believed it has an opportunity to start a serious dialogue aimed at controlling and demarcating the borders and working to resolve the issue of displaced Syrians in Lebanon.