Foreign Minister and Emigrants Abdullah Bou Habib arrived in New York yesterday, coming from Washington, to participate in the open discussion on the situation in the Middle East, which will be held on July 17, 2024, at the Security Council. He began his visit with bilateral meetings with the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Yahya, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul-Latif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, and Armenian Foreign Minister Mr. Ararat Mirzoyan. He also held bilateral meetings with U.S. Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield, French Permanent Representative Nicolas de Rivière, Chinese Permanent Representative Fu Cong, and U.K. Permanent Representative Barbara Woodward, with plans to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Iranian counterpart Ali Baqeri today.
During his meetings, Bou Habib stressed the need for de-escalation in the region and in southern Lebanon, and the importance of fully implementing Resolution 1701. He warned of the catastrophic consequences that would arise from any Israeli escalation towards Lebanon or any Israeli invasion of Lebanon, cautioning against the spread of the conflict into a regional war. He also emphasized the importance of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and southern Lebanon, commending the efforts of diplomatic mediators and affirming Lebanon’s commitment to initiatives and solutions aimed at reducing tensions and enhancing regional security and peace.
Additionally, Bou Habib presented the ongoing burden posed by the Syrian displacement in Lebanon, stressing the need to adjust the international community's approach to this existential issue and to work on implementing sustainable solutions aimed at ensuring the return of Syrian brothers to their villages and providing assistance to them in Syria. He proposed developing a model project that includes the return of a group of displaced persons to a number of neighboring villages in Syria, calling on the international community to enhance early recovery projects and alleviate the provisions of the Caesar Act.
Bou Habib is expected to deliver Lebanon's speech today in the open debate at the Security Council regarding the situation in the Middle East, which will be chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
