Mikati Meets Blinken: Significant Progress in Maritime Border Demarcation

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati held a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York. Participating in the meeting were Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib, Lebanon's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Amal Mudallali, and Mikati's diplomatic advisor Ambassador Boutros Assaker. From the U.S. side, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and U.S. mediator in the maritime border negotiations Amos Hochstein were present. Blinken announced that he had a "fruitful meeting with President Mikati, where the need for timely presidential elections and the necessity of implementing reforms to support the Lebanese people were discussed." He stated, "The United States will continue to work with Lebanon to achieve peace and prosperity." Mikati noted that "all files were discussed, with a particular emphasis on the need to hold presidential elections, and we wished for support for Lebanon from anyone capable of providing it." He also addressed issues related to Syrian refugees, the agreement with the International Monetary Fund, electricity, and specifically the educational file, as the new school year approaches. "We felt a great response, and hopefully, good will come of it." In response to a question, Mikati said, "The maritime border demarcation file is witnessing significant progress."