Lebanon’s Supreme Islamic Sharia Council Calls for Cooperation with Mikati to Resolve Crisis

Lebanese Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian gestures during a ceremony for his appointment in Beirut August 10, 2014. (Reuters)
Lebanese Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian gestures during a ceremony for his appointment in Beirut August 10, 2014. (Reuters)
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Lebanon’s Supreme Islamic Sharia Council Calls for Cooperation with Mikati to Resolve Crisis

Lebanese Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian gestures during a ceremony for his appointment in Beirut August 10, 2014. (Reuters)
Lebanese Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian gestures during a ceremony for his appointment in Beirut August 10, 2014. (Reuters)

Lebanon’s Supreme Islamic Sharia Council expressed its support for Prime Minister Najib Mikati for laying out a roadmap to address the crisis with Saudi Arabia and Gulf States, calling for national cooperation in this regard.

During a meeting on Saturday headed by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdullatif Derian, in the presence of former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, the Council denounced “persistent reluctance” in resolving the crisis.

“The most dangerous and worst thing that Lebanon is facing is that someone, who does not believe in this fraternity, has taken over the file of brotherly relations with Arab countries,” the Council said in a statement, warning of “disastrous consequences of such an immoral, unpatriotic and non-Arab policy.”

The Council declared its support for Mikati, “who expressed a firm position by drawing up a roadmap to resolve the crisis that Lebanon is experiencing in its relations with its Arab brothers, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

It also called on all Lebanese parties to cooperate with the premier to contain the repercussions of this crisis.”

The Council said it discussed with concern “attempts to obstruct the investigation into the Beirut Port blast.” It renewed its call to “continue the investigation transparently and comprehensively, by lifting the immunity of all officials who are supposed to be included in the probe.”

In remarks following the meeting, Siniora warned against “dangers threatening Lebanon and the supreme national interest.”

“Lebanon must return to its Arab fold, and the government should be keen on achieving this,” he underlined.



Italy Says Suspending EU Sanctions on Syria Could Help Encourage Transition

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)
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Italy Says Suspending EU Sanctions on Syria Could Help Encourage Transition

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)

Italy's foreign minister says a moratorium on European Union sanctions on Syria could help encourage the country's transition after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad by opposition groups.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visited Syria on Friday and expressed Italy’s keen interest in helping Syria recover from civil war, rebuild its broken economy and help stabilize the region.

Tajani, who met with Syria’s new de facto leaders, including Ahmed al-Sharaa, said a stable Syria and Lebanon was of strategic and commercial importance to Europe.

He said the fall of Assad's government, as well as the Lebanon parliament's vote on Thursday to elect army commander Joseph Aoun as president, were signs of optimism for Middle East stability.

He said Italy wanted to play a leading role in Syria’s recovery and serve as a bridge between Damascus and the EU, particularly given Italy’s commercial and strategic interests in the Mediterranean.

“The Mediterranean can no longer just be a sea of death, a cemetery of migrants but a sea of commerce a sea of development,” he said.

Tajani later traveled to Lebanon and met with Aoun. Italy has long played a sizeable role in the UN peacekeeping force for Lebanon, UNIFIL.

On the eve of his visit, Tajani presided over a meeting in Rome with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and officials from Britain, France and Germany as well as the EU foreign policy chief. He said that meeting of the so-called Quintet on Syria was key to begin the discussion about a change to the EU sanctions.

“The sanctions were against the Assad regime. If the situation has changed, we have to change our choices,” Tajani said.