Lebanese President Boycotts Sharm El-Sheikh Summit

Prime Minister Saad Hariri talks with President Michel Aoun in downtown Beirut, Lebanon November 22, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

Prime Minister Saad Hariri will lead Lebanon’s delegation to the Arab-European Dialogue Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, while sources said that President Michel Aoun has decided not to attend in response to the Egyptian president’s absence from the Socioeconomic Development Summit in Beirut earlier this year.
 
According to informed sources, Hariri will grab the opportunity to urge the heads of Arab and European delegations to give impetus to the projects that received funding at the CEDRE Conference held in Paris last April.
 
Meanwhile, EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Affairs Federica Mogherini will visit Beirut on Feb. 25-26, to discuss with the concerned officials the roadmap for supporting Hariri’s government and to address socioeconomic challenges, and institutional reforms.
 
In the same context, a diplomatic source said that French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will visit Beirut after the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, while contacts between Beirut and Paris are underway to set an official date for the trip, during which Le Drian will convey French President Emmanuel Macron’s compliments on the formation of the new government.
 
Moreover, Lebanese ministerial sources pointed to communication between Beirut and Riyadh to revive the bilateral joint committee, as 23 draft agreements and MoUs are waiting to be signed on cooperation in the fields of defense, justice, trade, maritime transport, land, customs and culture.