عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Derian Hails Saudi Arabia’s Insistence Not To Abandon Lebanon

Derian received on Tuesday Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari. (NNA)
Derian received on Tuesday Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari. (NNA)
TT
TT

Derian Hails Saudi Arabia’s Insistence Not To Abandon Lebanon

Derian received on Tuesday Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari. (NNA)
Derian received on Tuesday Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari. (NNA)

Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdullatif Derian expressed gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its unwavering insistence not to abandon Lebanon despite "preferential" positions made by some Lebanese parties.

Derian expressed “great appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, led by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for the insistence of the wise leadership not to abandon Lebanon and its people, despite some unfair stances against the Kingdom issued by some Lebanese parties."

Derian’s remarks came during his Tuesday meeting with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari.

Bukhari underlined the Kingdom’s keenness on Lebanon’s security and stability.

He said seditious rhetoric does not gain legitimacy, nor does any attempt to change Lebanon’s Arab identity.

Bukhari stressed the importance of permanent communication with Dar Al-Fatwa.

"The Ambassador stressed that Dar el-Fatwa is the moderate religious and national reference, which maintains its unifying role during the crises that Lebanon is witnessing,” the media office of Dar Al-Fatwa said in a statement.

The ambassador affirmed the Kingdom’s keenness on the security and stability of Lebanon and its institutions, and on the consolidation of Muslim-Christian coexistence.

Derian noted that relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia “were and will remain firm because the Kingdom continues to view Lebanon and its people as a brotherly Arab country.”

Bukhari also visited on Tuesday Druze Sheikh Al-Aql, Sheikh Sami Abi Al-Mona.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Lebanese President Faces Domestic, Foreign Challenges

Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
TT
TT

Lebanese President Faces Domestic, Foreign Challenges

Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS

The election of a new president in Lebanon does not mean the country has come out of the economic and political crises which have gutted it for years. Yet Thursday’s vote marks the beginning of a new phase that carries many challenges for the president and the upcoming government.

It is Joseph Aoun’s responsibility now to appoint a prime minister following binding parliamentary consultations and then form the Cabinet together with the PM.

According to observers, Aoun’s term should carry a roadmap to salvage the country, and a clear plan to address crises and domestic and foreign challenges.

However, there is no magic wand to solve Lebanon’s entire crises.

Instead, Aoun needs a unified working team that should draft a clear ministerial statement that reflects the President’s inaugural speech and his pledge of a “new era” for Lebanon.

“The president's speech constitutes a detailed program for governance. However, his program needs a cabinet capable of implementing it,” former Minister Ibrahim Najjar told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Najjar described the new President as an honest, clean and courageous Lebanese man.

“His election must be followed by the formation of a bold cabinet with new faces, capable of working and making achievements,” he said.

“The Lebanese people expect President Aoun to change the quota-based mentality of politicians. They hope his term will help remove old political figures, who are rooted in the Lebanese quagmire,” the former minister noted.

Former MP Fares Souaid told Asharq Al-Awsat that Aoun’s first task is to implement the Constitution and the National Accord document.

“In the early 1990s, the Constitution was no longer being implemented due to the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. In 2005, the Constitution was again ignored because of Iranian arms.”

Therefore, Soueid said, the Lebanese eagerly expect this new era to constitute a real opportunity for the implementation of both documents.

For years, Lebanon has failed to properly implement its Constitution and UN resolutions, mainly because some political parties had considered their implementation as “a target against their so-called resistance.”

“With the election of President Joseph Aoun, Lebanon has opened a blank page that could meet the aspirations of the Lebanese people, and write a new chapter in the country’s history,” Najjar said.

According to Soueid, Aoun has a task to return Lebanon to its Arab identity. “This is slowly beginning to show through the decline of Iranian influence in the region,” he said.

Also, Soueid said, the new President should mend Lebanon’s relations with the international community by implementing all UN resolutions.

Addressing Parliament and Lebanese people with an acceptance speech, Aoun on Thursday vowed that the Lebanese authorities will have the monopoly on arms and will be committed to a strong state that will extend its sovereignty over the entire territory.

“This is in line with UN resolutions, which if implemented, will bring Lebanon back to the Arab and international scene,” Soueid said.