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Lebanon’s General Security Chief Meets Rai, Discusses Neutral Policy

Maronite Patrirach al-Rai receives General Security chief Ibrahim in Diman. (NNA)
Maronite Patrirach al-Rai receives General Security chief Ibrahim in Diman. (NNA)
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Lebanon’s General Security Chief Meets Rai, Discusses Neutral Policy

Maronite Patrirach al-Rai receives General Security chief Ibrahim in Diman. (NNA)
Maronite Patrirach al-Rai receives General Security chief Ibrahim in Diman. (NNA)

Head of Lebanon’s General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, visited on Wednesday Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai in Diman, to discuss the patriarch’s calls for dissociating the country from regional conflicts.

In remarks following a meeting of the Supreme Council of Defense in Baabda on Tuesday, Ibrahim announced that he would visit the patriarch on Wednesday at his summer residence in Diman (northern Lebanon).

Well-informed sources denied information saying that Ibrahim would present an initiative from the Shiite duo – Amal Movement and Hezbollah - regarding Lebanon’s neutrality.

“This visit has been scheduled days ago, before Rai raised the issue of neutrality,” the sources said, pointing out that the meetings between Ibrahim and the Maronite patriarch were periodical and constantly maintained.

Meanwhile, political sources denied claims that Hezbollah has asked Ibrahim to mediate with Rai.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, they said: “The party will not assign anyone to take an initiative as long as the issue is not raised by any [Hezbollah] official, including its deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem.”

The Patriarch launched in early July a call to announce Lebanon’s neutrality and distance the country from regional and international conflicts.

The call, widely supported by several political parties, was met with silence from Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.

In the Sunday Mass sermon, Rai said the first and main target from a neutral system was to strengthen unity, safeguard Lebanon’s “entity, sovereignty, and independence” and enhance “national partnership, stability and good governance.”

He added that neutrality would help in preserving Lebanon’s sovereignty, distancing it from foreign conflicts and achieving stability and economic growth, which would allow for Lebanon’s return to its historical role as a bridge linking the East and West.

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Hemedti Aide: Ready for Talks to End Sudan War if Seriousness Shown

Ezz El-Din Al-Safi, senior adviser to the commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Ezz El-Din Al-Safi, senior adviser to the commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Hemedti Aide: Ready for Talks to End Sudan War if Seriousness Shown

Ezz El-Din Al-Safi, senior adviser to the commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Ezz El-Din Al-Safi, senior adviser to the commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (Asharq Al-Awsat)

A senior adviser to the commander of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said the group is open to serious negotiations with the government based in Port Sudan to end the country’s devastating conflict, now in its third year, provided there is genuine political will from the other side.

The remarks by Ezz El-Din Al-Safi, who is also a member of the RSF’s negotiating team, come as international actors prepare to meet in Brussels on Thursday in a bid to lay the groundwork for a ceasefire.

The talks are expected to include the European Union, African Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain.

“Negotiations could begin with confidence-building measures and credible arrangements,” Al-Safi told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Dialogue remains the best path to ending a war that has no winners, only losers, both the people and the nation.”

He said the RSF is ready to discuss the location, timing, and possible mediators for peace talks, but stressed that any engagement must be met with equal seriousness by Sudan’s military-backed government.

However, Al-Safi cautioned that his group would not accept talks that merely allow the opposing side to regroup and secure external support to resume fighting.

“We cannot enter into a dialogue that gives the other party time to reorganize and rearm,” he said, adding that the RSF remains “at its strongest” on the battlefield.

Sudan’s army has conditioned any peace negotiations on the implementation of the Jeddah Declaration, a humanitarian agreement signed in May 2023. The deal, brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States, has since been marred by mutual accusations of violations from both the military and the RSF.

Meanwhile, the RSF is pushing ahead with plans to form a rival administration in areas under its control.

Al-Safi, a senior adviser to RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, said the group is nearing the formation of what he called a “government of unity and peace.”

He added that over 90% of the preparations for the announcement have been completed.

“The delay in announcing the government is due to ongoing consultations among members of the Founding Sudan Alliance [Tasis], which supports this move,” Al-Safi told Asharq Al-Awsat. “It’s not because of internal disagreements, as some have suggested.”

Asked about the planned capital of the parallel government, Al-Safi declined to name the city but suggested it would not be Khartoum.

“There are cities more beautiful than Khartoum,” he said. “From a strategic perspective, I believe the capital should be temporary and capable of accommodating all institutions of government.”

He only noted that the proposed city is located in territory controlled by the Tasis alliance.

The RSF’s moves come amid growing fears that the fragmentation of Sudan will deepen if parallel authorities are entrenched, further complicating efforts to reach a comprehensive peace.