Aoun Calls on Lebanon's Political Leaders to Set Aside Differences by Holding Dialogue

President Michel Aoun hold talks with Sheikh Al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze sect, Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna. (Dalati & Nohra)
President Michel Aoun hold talks with Sheikh Al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze sect, Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna. (Dalati & Nohra)
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Aoun Calls on Lebanon's Political Leaders to Set Aside Differences by Holding Dialogue

President Michel Aoun hold talks with Sheikh Al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze sect, Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna. (Dalati & Nohra)
President Michel Aoun hold talks with Sheikh Al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze sect, Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna. (Dalati & Nohra)

Lebanese President Michel Aoun stressed Monday on the importance of holding the dialogue meeting he had called for, stressing the need for such in overcoming political disputes.

Sources close to the presidency had previously told Asharq Al-Awsat that Aoun contacted heads of parties and parliamentary blocs to invite them to bilateral meetings to discuss the possibility to hold all-party talks.

On Monday, the Amal Movement, which is headed by parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, announced it will attend the dialogue.

This came in light of disputes between the Shiite party and Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement over several files, mainly the investigation in the 2020 Beirut port explosion.

Several leaders, including former Prime Minister and head of the al-Mustaqbal Movement Saad Hariri, have refused to participate in the talks.

“With regard to our invitation to dialogue, positive reactions came first, but some reservations began to emerge,” Aoun said while meeting Sheikh Al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze sect, Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna.

He said the program of this dialogue meeting is based on three main points of contention in Lebanon

According to the president, the meeting must first tackle economic recovery

Political leaders should also discuss the extended administrative and financial decentralization.

It must also address the national defense strategy amid regional instability.



Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza in a meeting with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in Washington on Monday, the State Department said.

Dermer updated Blinken on operational changes and policy decisions taken by Israel in response to a US letter sent in October, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Blinken "emphasized the importance of ensuring those changes lead to an actual improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, including through the delivery of additional assistance to civilians throughout Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in the statement.