Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Abdullah Bou Habib concluded his visit to New York with a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, attended by Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East and Asia-Pacific Khaled Khiari. Bou Habib thanked the Secretary-General for his remarks during the ministerial-level Security Council session and his stance on the situation in the Middle East, inviting him to visit Lebanon. He also emphasized Lebanon's commitment to the operations of UNIFIL and its coordination with the Lebanese Army, as well as the Lebanese authorities' keenness on the safety of the mission and facilitation of its tasks. Additionally, he expressed Lebanon's readiness for a comprehensive and balanced implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 as part of an integrated solution that ensures stability and maintains calm. There was also alignment in perspectives on the necessity of a ceasefire in Gaza and the implementation of the two-state solution to exit the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has persisted without solutions for more than 75 years.
Earlier in the day, Bou Habib met with UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, conveying Lebanon's desire for de-escalation and the policy of restraint it has adopted, along with his vision for reducing tensions and achieving a sustainable solution. Bou Habib also agreed with his Slovenian counterpart Tanja Fajon that a ceasefire is the entry point to resolving the conflict, and that the guarantee for a secure Middle East is the establishment of a Palestinian state. Bou Habib departed New York early in the morning, returning to Beirut.
