Press conference held at the Unesco Palace in Beirut, Oct. 11 2022, to mark the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the Taif Agreement. (Credit : Twitter @JWronecka)
BEIRUT — The Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, said Saturday that France assured him "there will be no intention or proposal to change the Taif Agreement" of 1989, which ended a 15-year civil war in Lebanon, under the auspices of Saudi Arabia.
During a press conference held at the Unesco Palace in Beirut, the diplomat stressed "the interest of Saudi Arabia and its authorities in preserving security, unity and stability in Lebanon, and the preservation of the Taif Agreement."
Many personalities were invited to the palace, including politicians and religious figures, to mark the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the Taif Agreement.
The meeting comes two weeks after a canceled dinner at the Swiss Embassy, meant to be attended by Lebanon's main political groups. The dinner was canceled after Saudi objections and a boycott by members of Lebanon's Parliament, including the Lebanese Forces (LF). The LF are allies of Saudi Arabia and considered the move an attempt to overturn the Taif Agreement in order to produce a new political system.
'Definitive character of the Lebanese entity'
"The French president has assured us that there will be no intention or proposal to change the Taif Agreement," Bukhari said. "We have a great need to concretize the living together and the preservation of Lebanon's identity and Arabness."
He added that "the Taif agreement preserves the definitive character of the Lebanese entity, its identity and Arabness," and noted "another solution will only lead the country further into the unknown."
On the sidelines of the conference, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the Taif Agreement "remains the most valid agreement." According to him, the conference proves "Saudi Arabia has not abandoned Lebanon." The representative of the UN Secretary-General in Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, said during the conference that "the Taif Agreement guarantees the stability of Lebanon."
Lebanese Forces MP Ghassan Hasbani called on Parliament to "take the necessary steps to implement the Taif Agreement," saying the country is facing "a pivotal opportunity to confirm the implementation of the agreement."
The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), led by Gebran Bassil and a rival of the LF, has always opposed the Taif Agreement, believing it reduces the prerogatives of a Maronite president in favor of a Sunni Prime Minister and cabinet.
Electing a new president
Speaking at the meeting, former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said that "what is most important today is to elect a president who believes in Taif, ensures the return to this agreement and works so that it becomes a constant and is properly implemented."
The leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Joumblatt, said "the most important thing is to elect a president."
"Currently, the big battle is not about the prerogatives of the president, which are clear in politics and in the Constitution. The problem lies in the election of a president and the subsequent formation of a credible government that launches the reforms required to begin implementing an economic and financial rescue," he stressed.
Joumblatt added that "before considering any changes to the agreement, we must implement it to abolish political sectarianism."
The Druze leader also said, in an interview with the Al-Jadeed TV channel on the sidelines of the conference, that he "will not accept Sleiman Frangieh as a presidential candidate," affirming that his candidate "is Michel Moawad."
Joumblatt's words come despite a rapprochement between the PSP and Hezbollah, a Shiite ally of Frangieh's Marada party.
Frangieh said he participated in the conference called by Ambassador Bukhari.
"I am part of the Taif Agreement. I attended this meeting not for considerations related to the presidential election," he said. "My allies are not against the Taif Agreement. My presence [in the conference] will not impact my relationship with them," he added.
For the first time in its history, Lebanon is experiencing a double vacancy in the presidency and the government. Michel Aoun's presidential term ended on Oct. 31, and Parliament has thus far failed to elect a new head of state in four electoral sessions.
Mikati's caretaker cabinet resigned in May following the parliamentary elections and continues to manage government affairs. A political tug-of-war pitted Mikati against Aoun, who said a caretaker cabinet could not perform the duties of a president in event of a presidential vacancy.
Former MP Bahia Hariri apologized for her absence from the ceremony, according to al-Jadeed channel, as relations between her nephew — former Prime Minister and Future Movement leader Saad Hariri — and Saudi Arabia have deteriorated in recent years.
Since Saad Hariri's withdrawal from politics earlier this year, there is no clear Sunni leader in Lebanon. The Mufti of the Republic, Abdellatif Derian, organized a Sept. 24 meeting at Dar al-Fatwa of the 27 Sunni MPs as the tensions between Aoun and Mikati took a confessional turn.
Mikati advocated the idea that, in the absence of a President, the head of states' prerogatives should go to the caretaker cabinet. Earlier this week, Parliament decided that the current caretaker cabinet may proceed with its caretaker role.
