Lebanon’s Aoun Adamant in Rejecting Mikati as PM

Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (AFP file photo)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (AFP file photo)
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Lebanon’s Aoun Adamant in Rejecting Mikati as PM

Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (AFP file photo)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (AFP file photo)

Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement, which was founded by President Michel Aoun, stressed its rejection of the designation of Najib Mikati as prime minister.

A prominent source from the FPM told Asharq Al-Awsat that its nomination of former ambassador to the United Nations Nawaf Salam to the post was not a “political maneuver aimed at upsetting Hezbollah or appeasing the Americans.”

Rather, the nomination is aimed at countering Mikati’s, “who is completely rejected,” he acknowledged.

Meanwhile, informed sources said Aoun is committed to holding consultations to name a premier on Monday even if an agreement is not reached on a candidate beforehand.

FPM MP Hikmat Deeb explained that opposition to Mikati stems from - among other issues - suspicions that he had accumulated his wealth through illegal means. Mikati, a billionaire, is among Lebanon’s richest people.

Head of the FPM’s media relations, Tarek Sadek, had said the movement will not name Mikati as premier and that it will give a limited time for the formation of a government. Should efforts fail, the FPM lawmakers will resign from parliament.

In a tweet, he alleged that Mikati is the “choice of the United States and the corrupt system.”

“Salam, on the other hand, boasts a history in championing Arabism and the Palestinian cause,” he added.

“I understand why parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, former PM Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt would back Mikati, but why would Hezbollah [the FPM’s main ally]?” he wondered.



Sisi Steps Up Criticism of Ethiopia, Rejects ‘Pressure’ on Egypt Over Nile Dam

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
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Sisi Steps Up Criticism of Ethiopia, Rejects ‘Pressure’ on Egypt Over Nile Dam

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday stepped up his criticism of Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), built on the Nile’s main tributary, which Cairo fears will threaten its water supply.

He rejected what he described as “unilateral measures” along the Nile Basin, warning: “Anyone who thinks Egypt will turn a blind eye to threats to its water security is mistaken.”

Speaking at a joint press conference in Cairo with visiting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Sisi said the water issue had become “part of a broader campaign of pressure on Egypt to achieve other objectives.”

“We will remain vigilant and will take all measures guaranteed under international law to safeguard our people’s existential resources,” he vowed.

Sisi stressed that Egypt does not oppose development in Nile Basin countries but insisted such projects must not affect the volume of water reaching Egypt. “The best way to deal with the Nile Basin is to respect everyone’s interests,” he said.

Negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, under African Union mediation, have been stalled since April 2021, prompting Cairo to appeal to the UN Security Council for pressure on Addis Ababa.

Egypt, which relies on the Nile for 98% of its water, receives an annual quota of 55.5 billion cubic meters. It is already below the global water poverty line, with only 500 cubic meters per person annually, according to the Ministry of Irrigation.

Sisi noted that Egypt and Sudan together receive just 4% of the Nile Basin’s 1,600 billion cubic meters of water, amounting to 85 billion cubic meters.

“This is the only source of life for the two downstream states,” he said, adding that Egypt had never called for “fair water sharing”, which would mean dividing the entire basin’s volume.

Egypt hopes Uganda’s current chairmanship of the Nile Basin Initiative’s consultation mechanism can foster consensus among basin states.

The two leaders inaugurated the Egypt-Uganda Business Forum in Cairo and witnessed the signing of five agreements on water resources, agricultural cooperation and food security, investment, mutual visa exemptions for official passports, and diplomatic cooperation.

The talks come just weeks before Ethiopia plans to inaugurate GERD in September. Former Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs Mohamed Hegazy said Cairo is counting on Kampala’s role in dam-related consultations.

Relations between Cairo and Kampala have been warming, with Uganda recently hosting a “2+2” dialogue between the foreign and water ministers of both countries. Sisi said Egypt views Uganda as a key partner in the southern Nile Basin and seeks to make it a primary beneficiary of Egypt’s development support mechanisms.