Regarding the ongoing debate about who has the authority to sign the demarcation agreement in the event of a presidential vacancy, attorney Dr. Paul Marquès, president of the JUSTICIA legal foundation, expressed his concern that the minutes of the maritime border demarcation with "Israel" could be legally considered an international agreement according to Article 2 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1969, which treats it as such regardless of whether it is based on one document or two separate ones. This is irrespective of the Lebanese description given to this agreement, being called a protocol or correspondence for fear of it being considered "normalization."
In an interview with the electronic newspaper "Al-Anbaa," Marquès reminded that the armistice agreement was indeed signed by both Lebanon and Israel under the supervision of the United Nations on March 23, 1949, in Ras al-Naqura, and it was signed on the Lebanese side by Major Tawfiq Salim and Major Joseph Harb, while it was signed on the Israeli side by Major Mordechai Maklev and Wenushwa Beilman and Shabtai Rosen, in the presence of international mediator Ralph Bunche.
Marquès argued that today's agreement should be under the auspices of the President of the Republic regarding negotiations, in accordance with Article 52 of the constitution, in agreement with the Prime Minister, and it would not become ratified until approved by the Council of Ministers, with the government informing the Parliament of it at the earliest opportunity. Moreover, because this agreement does not have a set timeframe and is not a regular matter, it should receive the Parliament's approval to become ratified. At the very least, if it is not considered an agreement, the signing of a protocol of such significance requires government approval, while it is functioning as a caretaker government, which does not have that authority. Therefore, the only solution is for the current President to initiate these procedures and then elect a new President and form a new government to pass this agreement, unless a new government is formed and gains confidence in the coming days, which seems unlikely.
