Lebanese Officials Renew Commitment to Taif Accord on 33rd Anniversary of its Signing

Top officials are seen at the conference marking the 33rd anniversary of the signing of the Taif Accord. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Top officials are seen at the conference marking the 33rd anniversary of the signing of the Taif Accord. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Lebanese Officials Renew Commitment to Taif Accord on 33rd Anniversary of its Signing

Top officials are seen at the conference marking the 33rd anniversary of the signing of the Taif Accord. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Top officials are seen at the conference marking the 33rd anniversary of the signing of the Taif Accord. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi embassy in Lebanon organized on Saturday a conference to mark the 33rd anniversary of the signing of the Taif Accord that helped end the 1975-90 Lebanese civil war.

Signed in 1989, the agreement, which was sponsored by Saudi Arabia, helped consolidate mutual coexistence in Lebanon and preserve its Lebanese and Arab identity.

At Saturday’s conference, officials called for completing the implementation of the accord in wake of the crises rocking Lebanon, which is mired in presidential and government vacuum and grappling with an unprecedented economic meltdown.

Top politicians and diplomats and religious figures attended the conference that was held at the UNESCO palace in Beirut.

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Waleed Bukhari stressed that the Taif Accord “reflects the Kingdom’s keenness on Lebanon, its security, unity, stability and national pact.”

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the accord is “extremely important because it helped end the civil war.”

“The Kingdom has not abandoned Lebanon and it stands by it,” he declared.

Moreover, he noted that the major turnout of officials at the conference demonstrates that the accord “is still the best suited for Lebanon.”

Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said: “Experience has shown that Lebanon must operate according to sustainable balance that achieves stability.”

“There can be no sectarian solution” to problems, “rather there is only one whereby either Lebanon rises with the help of all of its components or not at all,” he added.

“Good intentions are the foundations for any initiative or solution,” he stated, stressing that the priority in Lebanon today lies in the election of a president who “believes in the Taif Accord” and is keen on its complete implementation.

Head of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt said that before discussions can be held over amending the Taif, the accord must at least be implemented in full.

That will in turn eliminate political sectarianism, as stipulated in the accord, he explained.

Furthermore, he called for carrying out other reforms that were underlined in the accord. These issues should be discussed “away from sectarian tensions that are seeking to hamper the election of a president.”

Speaking on behalf of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai, Archbishop Boulos Matar said: “Christians and Muslims are united under one nation according to the Taif agreement.”

“We are brothers in the nation, Arabism and humanity,” he added.



Netanyahu Says Significant Progress Made in Talks to Release Hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (AP)
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Netanyahu Says Significant Progress Made in Talks to Release Hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that there had been "significant progress" in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was "too soon" to raise hopes that a deal would be reached.

Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.

Netanyahu, who has come under pressure from within his right-wing coalition to continue the war and block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, said in a video statement shared by his office that there had been progress, without providing details.

A source familiar with the negotiations said that Washington had been giving Hamas more assurances, in the form of steps that would lead to an end to the war, but said it was US officials who were optimistic, not Israeli ones. The source said there was pressure from Washington to have a deal done as soon as possible.

The White House National Security Council and representatives for US envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading US efforts in the ceasefire talks, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither did Hamas representatives.

Israel's leadership has said that it would wage war until the remaining 55 hostages held in Gaza are freed and when Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war, has been dismantled.

Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, has said it would no longer govern after the war if a Palestinian, non-partisan technocratic committee took over, but it has refused to disarm.

The US has proposed a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israel said it would abide by the terms, but Hamas has sought amendments. The group has said that it would release all hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war.

The war in Gaza has raged since Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people in Israel in the October 2023 attack and took 251 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.