Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Minister Abdullah Bou Habib stated after a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the commander of UNIFIL, General Arnaldo Lazaro, that "we discussed the security situation in the south, and the general conveyed the Israeli side's request to remove the tent, to which our response was that we want them to withdraw from northern Ghajar, which is considered Lebanese territory. From our side, we recorded about 18 Israeli violations of the borders." In response to a question about UN Resolution 1701 and the renewal of UNIFIL, he said: "The Secretary-General's report will be discussed on July 20, and the renewal of UNIFIL will take place in the last week of August. The Prime Minister has informed them that I will head the Lebanese delegation to New York."
Deputy Wail Bou Faour announced after meeting Mikati that they "discussed the issue of vacancies in security and financial institutions. It is clear that the presidential vacancy seems prolonged, and despite initiatives and attempts from several external parties and envoys, these initiatives do not currently possess the components for success due to the simple reason that some local political egos hinder agreement on a new president." He added: "It seems that some parties do not take the presidential vacancy seriously and are not in a hurry to agree on a new president. In any case, if we are going towards this prolonged vacancy which does not seem to have an end in sight, should we allow what remains of the security and financial structure that protects the security and economy of the Lebanese to collapse? Here, I am talking about the Bank of Lebanon and the Army, the military institution we all know is still, at this moment, the sole guarantor of the security and stability of the Lebanese."
Regarding the Bank of Lebanon, Bou Faour indicated that "various formulas are being discussed, and I believe there are two formulas that should be agreed upon: the first formula is either an agreement to appoint a new governor, and I am not calling for a new sectarian conflict over whether the government has the right to appoint or not, and we do not need new conflicts, but there should be an agreement. I believe that with some political consensus, it is possible to agree on a new governor for the Bank of Lebanon, and if agreement is not reached, the natural logic says that the deputies of the governor, specifically the first deputy governor, must assume their responsibilities. No one can say: I take responsibility today and the next day I want to resign and not assume the responsibilities I initially took on."
On Prime Minister Mikati's stance, he said: "He is making contacts, and his viewpoint regarding the Bank of Lebanon is the appointment of a new governor, and if this proves difficult, the deputies of the governor must shoulder their responsibilities. As for the army, he is in favor of filling the vacancy in the military council to preserve the institution."
UNDP Program
Mikati received the UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States of the UN Development Program, Abdullah al-Dardari, and the UNDP Resident Representative in Lebanon, Melani Hochstien. During the meeting, developmental projects funded by the program in Lebanon and the close relationship with the Lebanese government were discussed.
French Ambassador
Mikati also received the French Ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Grillo, and during the meeting, the general situation and institutions in Lebanon, the situation in the south, and the assistance provided by France to Lebanon were reviewed.
Minister of Education
Mikati met with Minister of Education and Higher Education Abbas Halabi, and they discussed ministry matters.
Lebanese University
The Prime Minister met with the President of the Lebanese University, Bassam Badran, and discussed the university's demands and affairs. Badran informed him that the university ranked 577th globally according to the QS World University Rankings, advancing 24 points from the previous year, and ranked second locally after the American University. The university achieved high points in various criteria, ranking first locally in the professional reputation index and second locally in academic reputation. The Prime Minister congratulated the university president, professors, and staff on this distinguished achievement and on the Lebanese University’s radiance and presence in Lebanon, the Arab world, and globally, affirming support for its demands, budget, and everything that develops its academic and scientific capabilities.
Frontiska
For her part, Bou Habib discussed with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Frontiska the situation in the south and Israeli violations, as well as the political and economic situations in Lebanon.
