Former Foreign Minister Tarek Metri confirmed during a dialogue hosted by "Southern Forum," moderated by Harith Suleiman, titled "Arab Lebanon from 2005 to Today," that "the Taif Agreement did not lead to a reduction in external interventions nor the restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty." He stated that "the implications of the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, mediated by China, require caution and should not fabricate a direct relationship between the external and internal in the Lebanese context." Metri addressed various stages during that period, from the 2006 war to "disengagement" and the subsequent "Arab isolation and neutrality."
He pointed out that "Lebanon's loss of its Arab role did not occur out of nowhere, but rather as a result of objective changes that led to the loss of some of its comparative advantages," emphasizing that "with the simultaneous economic and financial collapse, Lebanon's Arab and international isolation has increased." He explained that "Lebanon resorted to the tactic of disengagement to avoid embarrassment, and the neutrality project appeared incomplete and ambiguous regarding how to achieve it." He noted that "so far, nothing significant has changed, and Arab countries' interest revolves around paving a way for Lebanon to exit its prolonged crisis, starting with the election of an unbiased president and the formation of a reformist and capable government to restore Lebanon's Arab relations, thus protecting it from the reckless stones in the game of regional fates."
He stressed that "Lebanon was not always merely a battleground against Israel and a land of small wars and proxy wars; it was also a space for external and internal settlements, most of which remained situational or temporary until an Arab and international consensus was reached regarding Syrian influence in Lebanon."
