The newspaper "Al-Liwaa" reports: Direct American communications with President Michel Aoun, in addition to diplomatic shuttles towards the Bestriss Palace and the movements of Ambassador Dorothy Shea, have kept Lebanon aligned with the Western bloc regarding its stance on the war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, which was recently part of the former Soviet system. The meeting held yesterday afternoon in Baabda, attended by President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Foreign Minister and Emigrants Abdullah Bou Habib, reflected the decision that was translated into voting in favor of the resolution issued by the United Nations General Assembly calling on Moscow to cease its war on Kyiv.
Diplomatic sources revealed signs of a looming diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and Russia following the statement issued by the Foreign Ministry condemning the war launched by Russia against Ukraine days ago. This prompted displeasure from the Russian side, while the presidency attempted to evade the statement without success. Additionally, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, swiftly distanced himself from it, in vain. Sources indicated that the President tried to rely on his advisor for Russian affairs, Amal Abu Zeid, to contact the Russian side, as is customary, to clarify Aoun and Bassil’s positions. However, it later became apparent that Mikhail Bogdanov refused to meet Abu Zeid to express the discontent caused by the statement on the Russian side.
The sources revealed that MP Gebran Bassil attempted to contact Bogdanov to clarify what happened and mediate a visit for Abu Zeid, but was unable to reach the Russian official. It was noted that only a few days passed before new evidence emerged confirming that the mentioned Foreign Ministry statement was not the brainchild of the Foreign Minister as he previously attempted to imply. First, Foreign Minister Bou Habib’s statements made yesterday in Baabda confirmed that the statement was issued with the approval of Aoun and Mikati. Secondly, the statement issued by the American embassy regarding the visit of the American Treasury delegation to Lebanon expressed gratitude to the Lebanese government for its position condemning the unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine. Thirdly, Lebanon's support for the UN resolution condemning Russia yesterday.
The official statement underwent precise diplomatic phrasing to ensure the effort to appease the Russian Federation after the anger of the ambassador in Beirut and his reaction to the first statement. Nevertheless, the final direction will lean towards the American option due to the intertwining of Lebanese interests with the United States regarding demarcation, importing electricity and gas, or sanctions, or American Treasury oversight, and support from the IMF to save the Lebanese economy.
Bou Habib did not overlook mentioning the historical relations between Lebanon and the Russian Federation in the statement issued at the meeting. The statement said that Lebanon has suffered from military assaults and invasions of its sovereignty, land, and people, and adhering to the provisions of the United Nations Charter, which Lebanon participated in drafting, and firmly believing that military conflicts yield only tragedies, damages, losses, bloodshed, and destruction for countries and peoples, Lebanon demands the United Nations General Assembly to work on enhancing negotiation opportunities between the Russian and Ukrainian sides to reach a peaceful resolution to their conflict that restores security and stability.
In light of the above, Lebanon remains consistent with its declared position on Thursday, February 25. Victoria Nuland, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs, contacted President Aoun yesterday, during which bilateral relations and ways to enhance them in all fields were discussed, particularly regarding cooperation between the two countries. The discussions also covered the stages reached in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the results of the American Treasury delegation’s visit to Beirut, developments concerning the southern maritime border demarcation file, oil and electricity imports from Egypt and Jordan via Syria, and ongoing preparations for the Lebanese parliamentary elections, as well as military developments between Russia and Ukraine.
Reports indicated that the American ambassador provided President Aoun with the written version of the proposal presented by U.S. mediator Hochstein during his recent visit to Beirut regarding the line 23 and the Kana field. This written proposal documented the points raised during Hochstein's meeting with President Aoun and the clarifications requested by the Lebanese side at that time, accompanied by an illustrative chart. It was known that the U.S. mediator had presented his proposal orally before.
According to "Al-Liwaa," the meeting did not address the agenda of the Cabinet session scheduled for Friday, but rather focused on formulating a position regarding this crisis. This time, the coordination was clear, and the Foreign Minister read the statement that received presidential approval.
Certainly, it was inevitable to issue this statement reflecting the necessity of dialogue and negotiation opportunities while maintaining historical relations between Lebanon and Russia, but it remained consistent with the declared position from Thursday, February 24, a position announced by Minister Bou Habib and signed by his ministry regarding the “condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukrainian territories.”
The statement issued yesterday reinforced Bou Habib's assertions regarding not monopolizing the position, and here may lie the crux of the matter. It generally registered a position regarding the crisis, even if some saw it as addressing the desired balance while others found it vague. Lebanon did not claim neutrality, but is striving as much as possible to avoid any negative repercussions according to official circles, to the extent that there is a desire for this issue not to resonate in the Cabinet to avoid igniting controversy. Political sources close to "Al-Liwaa" expressed their belief that delaying the Cabinet session until Friday was aimed at avoiding discussing this issue from any angle, noting that there are those who insist on the saying that foreign policy is not discussed in the Cabinet.
The same sources also noted the diplomatic activity witnessed at official venues to gauge the Lebanese stance regarding the movement in the United Nations General Assembly. There have also been a series of high-level external communications made with Lebanese officials in this context, indicating that Lebanon is destined to remain under constant testing to determine which direction it should take. They stated that American pressure was evident in urging Lebanon to adopt a position, reflected in the American ambassador’s visit to Baabda Palace in the afternoon and the subsequent call from U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland to President Aoun.
It was pointed out that whether the statement was satisfactory to some or not, it might be the best possible for Lebanon under the current dire circumstances requiring continued external support. "Al-Liwaa" has learned that the Foreign Minister is still completing consultations regarding the diplomatic appointments file, and there are indications that he is determined to present them, and it is known he aims to include ambassadors from within the diplomatic corps and a majority of names of ambassadors working in the Foreign Ministry who will be appointed abroad if consensus is reached.
### Cabinet Meeting
The Cabinet will hold a session tomorrow, Friday, to discuss an agenda of 28 items, including, as mentioned by "Al-Liwaa" yesterday, the extension of the terms of municipal and elective councils and a presentation of the Interior Ministry's project regarding the megacenters. It will also discuss the issue of renewable energy production projects, agreements with Arab and international parties, the Defense Ministry’s request to secure the army’s supplies according to mutual agreements, and a presentation from the Council for Development and Reconstruction regarding the status of contracts signed with Jihad Al-Arab Company, which was postponed from the previous session due to objections from some ministers, alongside other administrative procedural items.
In political stances, President Michel Aoun tweeted: "I regret that a significant part of the Lebanese, including officials and media, are ignorant of the constitution and drown in nationalistic harmful statements regarding the president's position, role, and oath. The presidency is outside the circle of targeting. The president initiates negotiations for treaties and international agreements before concluding them with the Prime Minister and then with the Cabinet, and finally with the Parliament, under the conditions of Article 52 of the Constitution."
President Aoun received U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea, where they discussed Lebanese-American relations, recent international developments, and the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war, in addition to the stages reached in the southern maritime border demarcation file.
Prime Minister Mikati expressed "optimism regarding the possibility of advancing the steps initiated by the government with the concerned international parties, especially the IMF. However, he simultaneously wonders at the overwhelming negativity towards the proposed files from some political and media figures, as if there are those who do not want the country to rise from its stifling crisis." He affirms that "despite the urgent concerns, like monitoring the situation of the Lebanese in Ukraine, the ongoing monitoring of the Lebanese situation remains a fundamental matter for Lebanon's friends, with efforts to maintain stability, especially in the south, as well as efforts to address economic, financial, and social conditions in cooperation with international organizations and bodies." At the same time, the Prime Minister does not hide his concern about attempts to use some judiciary in a process of settling political scores "through media," which harms the country and undermines the remaining trust internally and externally. He questions, "Is justice achieved through defamation or through objectively approaching issues away from the uproar that leads to no results?"
Regarding the negotiations with the IMF, the Prime Minister confirms "ongoing work, and the IMF delegation currently visiting Lebanon is preparing for a second expanded delegation visit around mid-month to continue discussing the achieved negotiation points," expressing confidence "in reaching an agreement with the Fund soon."
### U.S. Treasury Delegation
Additionally, the U.S. Treasury delegation visiting Lebanon continued its meetings, meeting with the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes Paul Ahern, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Middle East Affairs Eric Meyer, and Political Advisor Caitlin Bozich. They were briefed on the meetings held with the banking and financial sectors. The delegation also met with the Board of Directors of the Association of Banks led by Dr. Salim Safi, where they addressed the status of the Lebanese banking sector, particularly issues concerning money laundering, corruption, and politicians' accounts and transfers, in addition to raising the "Hassan loan" file and sanctions imposed on figures close to "Hezbollah." "Reuters" reported that the U.S. Treasury delegation urged "the Lebanese government and banking officials to ensure maximized returns for depositors in any financial recovery plan, viewing that the Hassan loan institution provides cover for Hezbollah’s financial activities while threatening the credibility of the Lebanese financial system." Other information indicated that the delegation emphasized the need to accomplish structural reform programs to finalize negotiations with the IMF.
### Finance and Budget Committee
After the Speaker of Parliament referred the 2022 budget project to the Finance and Budget Committee, its head MP Ibrahim Kanaan called for a session to be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, to listen to Finance Minister Youssef Khalil regarding public financial policies, as part of studying the draft law for the general budget and the attached budgets for 2022.
### Beginning Electoral Processes
Political forces have begun taking practical measures to engage in the elections, either by officially submitting candidacies or launching election machines. Speaker Nabih Berri submitted his candidacy request to the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 15 for the South II district, thereby increasing the number of officially registered candidates at the Interior Ministry to 75. The Lebanese Forces party will officially submit its candidates' requests to the Interior Ministry mid-next week. MP Eddy Maalouf announced that the Free Patriotic Movement would announce its candidates' names at the beginning of next week at the latest. Hezbollah will launch its election machine today, and the Amal Movement will announce its candidates in the upcoming days across most electoral districts.
In the electoral context, Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib received UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka, where they discussed the upcoming parliamentary elections, especially the Ministry's efforts to facilitate the voting of expatriates abroad. She informed him that she would depart for New York to present a report on Lebanon at the UN Security Council meeting mid-this month.
Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, opened the election season, emphasizing conducting it under the slogan "With our words, we protect and build" as the axis for the election campaign. He announced the party's candidates for the upcoming elections: Mohammad Raad, Hassan Fadlallah, Ali Fayad, Hassan Azeddine, Hussein Jashi, Amin Shari, Rami Abu Hamdan, Hussein Al-Hajj Hassan, Ali Muqaddam, Ibrahim Al-Moussaoui, Ihab Hamada, Ali Ammar, and Raed Barro. It is noted that MP Jumaa is replaced by candidate Rami Abu Hamdan, and Raed Barro is nominated in the Keserwan district.
From the Amal Movement, leader Nabih Berri officially announced his candidacy in the South II district, also endorsing his nephew, financier Marwan Khairuddin, as a replacement for MP Anwar Khalil in Hasbaya, indicating that the total number of candidates reached 32. MP Yassin Jaber announced his withdrawal from candidacy for the upcoming parliamentary elections, thanking Speaker Nabih Berri for his support.
### The Death Journey
Regarding the Lebanese expatriate community in Ukraine, at 4 AM yesterday, the first batch of students from the deadly journey coming from Ukraine, which is witnessing a bloody Russian invasion, arrived. They are 40 Lebanese students, who returned safely after a journey filled with fear through unsafe crossings, carrying their lives in their hands. One of them spoke at Rafik Hariri Airport in Beirut, stating: "Our journey was extremely arduous, akin to fleeing from the hell of death due to the scale of Russian shelling on Ukraine, the scarcity of bread and water, and the lack of transport." The survivors thanked Lebanese businessman Dr. Mohammad Murad, who received them in Romania, provided accommodation in Bucharest, food, and travel tickets, appealing to all who can assist stranded Lebanese in the land of death, affirming: "We will not seek help from embassies or our government, but rather from businessmen like Dr. Murad."
At the airport, the survivors were welcomed by the head of the High Relief Commission, General Mohammad Khair, and the parents of the students, who thanked Murad for his concern for their children and ensuring their return to Beirut, calling on the government to "follow up on the students' difficult conditions in Ukraine and work for their evacuation as soon as possible." A delegation from the "Lebanese Association of Parents of Students in Foreign Universities" also attended and called for addressing the issues of students abroad and facilitating the transfer of funds to them in these challenging conditions, emphasizing "the need to approve the student dollar, as the situation for Lebanese students abroad is very difficult."
