Mikati Urges Int’l Community to ‘Facilitate’ Lebanon Presidential Election

The Lebanese Prime Minister and the US Secretary of State during a talks session in New York (AP)
The Lebanese Prime Minister and the US Secretary of State during a talks session in New York (AP)
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Mikati Urges Int’l Community to ‘Facilitate’ Lebanon Presidential Election

The Lebanese Prime Minister and the US Secretary of State during a talks session in New York (AP)
The Lebanese Prime Minister and the US Secretary of State during a talks session in New York (AP)

Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that US mediation efforts for Lebanon and Israel to demarcate maritime borders has “not yet reached” an agreement, denying reports of a Lebanese-Israeli agreement on this controversial file.

Mikati also urged the international community to help “facilitate” the election of a successor to President Michel Aoun, whose term ends on October 31.

According to Mikati, Lebanon, with all its suffering, cannot bear the brunt of another crisis.

Mikati spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the 77th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Speaking about US mediation over the demarcation of the maritime borders between Israel and Lebanon and the leaks about reaching an agreement, Mikati said: “The issue is not very clear.”

Mikati linked the matter to Aoun, who had appointed ex-minister Elias Bou Saab to head the demarcation file and deal with the US mediator, Amos Hochstein.

“I haven't heard anything yet. I hope this news is true and leads to positive steps towards ending the matter,” said Mikati about rumors on Lebanon and Israel having reached a settlement to demarcate maritime borders.

Mikati revealed that he had met with Hochstein, who “informed” him of some steps which he “considered positive, but not final yet.”

Moreover, Mikati, in his meetings with officials in New York, stressed the need for the international community to make all the necessary contacts to facilitate the election of a president for Lebanon.

He added that although electing a president will not end the crises sweeping Lebanon but would reduce the negativity surrounding the Mediterranean nation’s situation.

Moreover, Mikati acknowledged that the political situation in Lebanon is “ambiguous.”



Abbas Urges Hamas to Stop Giving Israel ‘Excuses’ in Gaza

A camp for internally displaced Palestinians, which was set up by the HHO Foundation in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 08 April 2025. (EPA)
A camp for internally displaced Palestinians, which was set up by the HHO Foundation in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 08 April 2025. (EPA)
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Abbas Urges Hamas to Stop Giving Israel ‘Excuses’ in Gaza

A camp for internally displaced Palestinians, which was set up by the HHO Foundation in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 08 April 2025. (EPA)
A camp for internally displaced Palestinians, which was set up by the HHO Foundation in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 08 April 2025. (EPA)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the Hamas group Tuesday to stop giving Israel "excuses" to keep up its devastating offensive in Gaza.

Israel resumed major strikes on the Gaza Strip on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Tuesday that 58 people had been killed in the previous 24 hours.

In a statement, the Ramallah-based Palestinian presidency called on Hamas to "cease making any irresponsible decisions to spare our people the consequences of (the Israeli) aggression".

The statement pointed to the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. "Stop giving the occupation any excuses to continue its genocide," it said.

It called on Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, to "adhere to the official Palestinian position and the Arab initiatives".

French President Emmanuel Macron met with King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi of Egypt in Cairo Monday, where they called for Abbas's Palestinian Authority to rule Gaza after a ceasefire, and for Hamas to have no role in post-war governance.

The Palestinian Authority is dominated by Abbas's Fatah movement, Hamas's longtime rival.

At their Cairo meeting, the three leaders called for an "immediate return" to the two-month ceasefire that effectively ended in March.

In its statement, the Palestinian presidency also denounced a newly established Israeli corridor in south Gaza as a violation of international law.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the creation of the Morag axis between the south Gaza cities of Khan Younis and Rafah last week.

He presented the axis as a new Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of land along the Palestinian side of the border with Egypt that the Israeli army has already cleared of buildings.

Witnesses told AFP Tuesday that Israeli forces were present on the axis, and had set up a surveillance crane equipped with a machine gun at one of its crossroads.