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Arab League Urges Lebanon to Implement Necessary Reforms

Kubis meets Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo. (Twitter)
Kubis meets Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo. (Twitter)
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Arab League Urges Lebanon to Implement Necessary Reforms

Kubis meets Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo. (Twitter)
Kubis meets Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo. (Twitter)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit reiterated on Tuesday the league’s support to and solidarity with Lebanon during its current crisis.

During a meeting in Cairo with the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis, Aboul Gheit said it is important for the new Lebanese government to meet the demands of the people and to fullfil its promises, especially by introducing necessary economic reforms to regain the world’s trust and attract investments.

A statement by the league said Aboul Gheit and Kubis discussed the latest developments in Lebanon following the formation of the new government and the challenges that lay ahead.

For his part, Kubis briefed Aboul Gheit about the financial and economic situation in Lebanon and required measures to overcome the crisis.

In Cairo, the UN official also held talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

“Shoukry stressed Egypt’s keenness to protect the stability and safety of Lebanon, by working on the achievement of national interests and on meeting the demands of the Lebanese people,” the ministry’s spokesperson Ahmed Hafez said.

The foreign minister said Lebanon should be spared from being involved in regional conflicts and escalations.

Kubis praised Egyptian efforts to help preserve stability in Lebanon and the region, expressing his keenness on continuing cooperation and consultation with Cairo in this regard.

Diab's government won parliament's confidence last week and it quickly requested the International Monetary Fund's advice on tackling its economic crisis.

Lebanon has the world's third-highest debt-to-GDP ratio and has been sliding towards default in recent months, with tight capital controls and a currency devaluation already hitting purchasing power.

Last week, Kubis said that any solution to the economic, financial and banking sector crisis must start with complete transparency of what is the solvency of Lebanon and its Central bank, communicated with the full clarity, honesty and accountability to the public.

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Iraq Reiterates Need for Int’l Coalition Forces to Remain

A convoy of US forces seen on the border between Syria and Iraq. (Reuters file)
A convoy of US forces seen on the border between Syria and Iraq. (Reuters file)
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Iraq Reiterates Need for Int’l Coalition Forces to Remain

A convoy of US forces seen on the border between Syria and Iraq. (Reuters file)
A convoy of US forces seen on the border between Syria and Iraq. (Reuters file)

Iraq’s security and defense committee announced on Sunday that “the need still stands” for the US-led anti-ISIS international coalition to remain in the country.

It made its announcement days after Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbasi made similar remarks.

In televised statements, he stressed that the international troops were still needed in Syria, adding that “Iraq and Syria’s security are indivisible.”

Security and military coordination with the coalition continues, he said.

Baghdad has not received any official notice about the withdrawal of the forces from Syria or Iraq, he revealed.

Iraq had in 2024 held three rounds of dialogue with the United States about organizing the presence of the coalition after the completion of the pullout of remaining American forces.

Pro-Iran factions in Iraq, which had for years demanded the withdrawal, have so far not commented on the latest statements about the coalition.

Abbasi added that the American and coalition forces were necessary in Syria to maintain the fight against ISIS remnants, which continue to be a cross-border threat.

The US Defense Department recently said that American troop movement from northern and eastern Syria to more secure locations in Iraq was part of a calculated, safe and professional redeployment plan aimed at consolidating the successes against ISIS and cementing regional stability.

It does not mean the end of the coalition’s mission in Syria, it added.

A Pentagon official said local partners remain in the field in Syria and are an effective force against ISIS.

The US will continue to empower those partners in performing most of their remaining counter-terrorism duties, including guarding ISIS detainees, he went on to say.

ISIS is seeking to exploit any instability in the area, but the US efforts to deter its resurgence cannot be underestimated. The coalition remains committed to achieving the permanent defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, he vowed.

Member of the security and defense committee Yasser Iskander Watout said on Sunday that Iraq needs major logistic and aerial support since the means at its disposal were not enough to control borders with neighbors.

The continued deployment of the international coalition forces is “necessary and realistic”, he said.

The Interior Ministry and border and security forces have secured the border with Syria, but members of the committee said the need remains for aerial support to bolster stability in the area, he revealed.

Watout agreed with Abbasi on the need for the international forces to remain given that it boasts air forces that have effectively secured Iraq’s skies.

He noted that recent government contracts for the purchase of 14 modern jets “were not enough to cover all our needs.”

The coalition currently has 2,500 forces deployed in Iraq to counter ISIS and offer Iraqi forces logistic support.

Pro-Iran factions that have long been opposed to the international troops have not commented on the recent statements on their continued deployment given the Israeli threats against Tehran and US President Donald Trump’s urging of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against carrying out attacks against the factions themselves.