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.



Report: US Embassy in Iraq Preparing for Ordered Evacuation Due to ‘Heightened Security Risks’

The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)
The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)
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Report: US Embassy in Iraq Preparing for Ordered Evacuation Due to ‘Heightened Security Risks’

The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)
The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)

The US embassy in Iraq is preparing for an ordered evacuation due to heightened security risks in the region, an Iraqi security official and a US source said on Wednesday.

Iran's Minister of Defense Aziz Nasirzadeh said earlier in the day that Tehran will strike US bases in the region if nuclear talks and conflict arise with Washington.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"The State Department is set to have an ordered departure for (the) US embassy in Baghdad. The intent is to do it through commercial means, but the US military is standing by if help is requested," another US official said.

US President Donald Trump said he was less confident that Iran will agree to stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington, according to an interview released on Wednesday.

Another US official said that there was no change in operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military base in the Middle East and that no evacuation order had been issued for employees or families linked to the US Embassy in Qatar, which was operating as usual.

Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with bombing if it does not reach a new nuclear deal.