Paris to Host Int’l Meeting Monday to Address Lebanon’s Presidential Crisis

The seat of the Lebanese presidency that became vacant in November after parties failed to agree on a successor to Michel Aoun. (EPA)
The seat of the Lebanese presidency that became vacant in November after parties failed to agree on a successor to Michel Aoun. (EPA)
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Paris to Host Int’l Meeting Monday to Address Lebanon’s Presidential Crisis

The seat of the Lebanese presidency that became vacant in November after parties failed to agree on a successor to Michel Aoun. (EPA)
The seat of the Lebanese presidency that became vacant in November after parties failed to agree on a successor to Michel Aoun. (EPA)

Paris will host on Monday an international meeting aimed at tackling the Lebanese presidential crisis. Representatives from Saudi Arabia, the United States, France, Egypt and Qatar will attend.

Lebanese officials are skeptical that the Paris meeting will yield a breakthrough in the impasse. Rather, they believe it will discuss the general characteristics of what the next president should enjoy.

Lebanon has been without a president since November when Michel Aoun’s term ended.

Several elections sessions have been held at parliament, but no single candidate has won enough votes to be named president.

The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), headed by former MP Walid Jumblatt, had recently declared that army commander Joseph Aoun is at the top of the list of potential candidates.

Influential parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has been holding intensive meetings with various officials to help end the impasse, but little progress has been achieved.

Meanwhile, a Lebanese parliamentary delegation left Washington on Saturday after a nearly week-long visit to attend the annual National Prayer Breakfast at the White House.

The delegation included “Change” MPs, several journalists and obscure political figures, who had made the trip at their own personal expense.

Sources from the delegation said each member had their own agenda during the trip that they discussed with various American officials, including US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf.

Leaf advised the Lebanese to take the initiative themselves and resolve the presidential deadlock, form a new government that can take on the responsibility of rebuilding state institutions and achieve political and economic reforms.

Independent MP Yassine Yassine told Asharq Al-Awsat that Leaf was clear in ruling out the possibility of Lebanon relying on American “intervention” to end the crisis.

Moreover, after meeting with various Congress officials, he concluded that the Lebanese crisis is not a priority in Washington and it will not intervene to back any candidate.



First Wheat Shipment Since Assad’s Ouster Arrives in Syria’s Latakia

A farmer shows wheat plants at a field in Giza, Egypt April 18, 2025. (Reuters)
A farmer shows wheat plants at a field in Giza, Egypt April 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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First Wheat Shipment Since Assad’s Ouster Arrives in Syria’s Latakia

A farmer shows wheat plants at a field in Giza, Egypt April 18, 2025. (Reuters)
A farmer shows wheat plants at a field in Giza, Egypt April 18, 2025. (Reuters)

A ship carrying wheat has arrived in Syria's Latakia port, the first delivery of its kind since former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted by rebels in December, the government said on Sunday.

Officials of the new government say that while imports of wheat and other basics are not subject to US and UN sanctions, challenges in securing financing for trade deals have deterred global suppliers from selling to Syria.

The Syrian General Authority for Land and Sea Borders said in a statement that the ship carried 6,600 tons of wheat. It did not identify the nationality or destination of the boat, but one regional commodity trader told Reuters it was from Russia.

"A step that is considered a clear indication of the start of a new phase of economic recovery in the country," the borders authority said of the shipment, adding that it should pave the way for more arrivals of vital supplies.

Traders say Syria has this year been largely relying on overland imports from neighbors.

Russia and Iran, both major backers of the Assad government, previously provided most of Syria's wheat and oil products but stopped after the opposition triumphed and he fled to Moscow.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government is focused on economic recovery after 14 years of conflict.