On Sunday, Army Commander General Joseph Aoun began an official visit to Qatar, responding to an invitation from his Qatari counterpart, Air Chief Marshal Salem Bin Hamad Bin Aqeel Al-Nabit. The discussions will focus on the needs of the military institution and ways to support it to continue its mission in maintaining Lebanon's security and stability. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al-Thani is scheduled to meet with General Aoun. The talks will concentrate on methods to resume financial aid to the army, alongside discussions on Qatar's role in supporting the army, especially with the ongoing French preparations for a donors' conference.
A diplomatic source told "Nidaa Al-Watan" that "the Qatari political and military leadership is well aware of the urgent needs of the military institution at this stage and in the future, particularly if matters shift towards de-escalation and the serious commencement of the full implementation of Resolution 1701. Therefore, the Qatari role is essential in rallying Arab and international support for the army, which is a focal point of General Aoun's discussions in Doha."
On another note, after the five-party committee had suspended meetings since before the end of Ramadan, as previously reported by "Nidaa Al-Watan," a wide-reaching source indicated that "the American leadership, through Ambassador Lisa Johnson, is initiating a new movement among the 'five' ambassadors. She will host them at the embassy in Aoukar this coming Wednesday to agree on the mechanisms and objectives of the new movement, which will kick off with a meeting with Speaker of the House Nabih Berri."
The source confirmed that "Johnson would not have hosted this meeting after a long hiatus without the presence of positive, actionable data," noting that "the current American focus is on the situation in the south and resolving the land border issue separately from the Shebaa Farms, which are internationally considered subject to Resolution 242. Additionally, there is a need to fully implement Resolution 1701 in its economic, political, and security dimensions, and discussions are needed on the reconstruction of the totally devastated border strip area, as well as the stance on displacement and internal reforms."
