Outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati (center) with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi (left) and Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general, in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt on the occasion of COP27 , November 7, 2022. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with several world leaders on the occasion of the COP27, the UN conference being held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, until Nov. 18 and gathering delegates from nearly 200 countries to discuss the fight against global warming.
During his meetings in Egypt as part of a delegation that includes caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin and Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Ali Halabi, Mikati discussed ongoing maritime border negotiations between Lebanon and Cyprus, the preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and possible medical donations from Egypt.
IMF appeal and Egyptian donations
According to the prime minister's office's Twitter account, on Monday morning, Mikati met with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. The head of the IMF was quoted by the Mikati's office as saying that she "hopes that Lebanon will accelerate the necessary steps to sign the final agreement, before dealing with other issues."
The Lebanese government early this year reached a preliminary agreement with the IMF that would provide financial assistance of $3 billion over four years on the condition that economic recovery reforms are undertaken by the Lebanese state, such as restructuring the banking sector and enacting a capital control law. These reforms remain pending as living conditions, infrastructure and services continue to deteriorate in a country that has been mired in a severe economic crisis for more than three years.
Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati (right) talking with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in Egypt on the sidelines of COP27 on Nov. 7, 2022. (Credit: Twitter photo/@grandserail)
As for Jordan's King Abdullah II, with whom Mikati also met, he insisted on the need "to accelerate work to conclude a final agreement between Lebanon and the World Bank so that Jordan can supply Lebanon with electricity."
Last January, Lebanon signed a contract with Syria and Jordan to import electricity as part of a US initiative. The World Bank is expected to finance this project on the condition that Lebanon implement certain reforms.
Mikati was also received by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday morning. He thanked Sissi for "the position taken by Egypt to always be on the side of Lebanon and for its support in all areas," as well as for "speeding up" Egypt's response to a request made by Lebanon last week at an Arab League summit to receive cholera vaccines and medicines to help it cope with its first outbreak of the disease since 1993. Mikati "was informed by Egypt that it will send a shipment of 1,705 tons of vaccines and medical aids," his office reported via its Twitter account.
At the Arab League summit in Algiers last week, the first in three years, the caretaker prime minister called on the league's member states for "cooperation," telling them "The Lebanon you know has changed."
Lebanon, three years into an unprecedented economic crisis, is currently experiencing a power vacuum at the levels of both the presidency and cabinet.
Mikati also met with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who assured that his country "supports Lebanon and remains ready to help it in all areas."
Finally, Mikati met with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and thanked him for "the continued support of Pope Francis for Lebanon, and the positions he recently formulated from Bahrain, when he called for helping Lebanon to stop its collapse." On Sunday, the pontiff launched an "appeal" to Lebanese leaders, urging them to "put aside their personal interests." Mikati, for his part, insisted before Cardinal Parolin on "the election of a new president and the need not to prolong the presidential vacancy period."
On Monday, Mikati also met with Iraqi President Abdel Latif Rashid to discuss bilateral relations between Baghdad and Beirut, as well as with the prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif.
Maritime border with Cyprus
On the sidelines of the COP27 kickoff on Sunday, Mikati also met with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and assured him that there is "no obstacle" in the follow-up of the maritime border file between Lebanon and Cyprus. This follows the announcement, in late October, by the Lebanese presidency that a formula had been found to change the route of this border, after the visit of a Cypriot delegation to Beirut.
Anastasiades reminded Mikati of "the need to follow up on the issue of the maritime border, which has not changed since 2007" between Lebanon and Cyprus. The caretaker prime minister, for his part, affirmed that the caretaker Transport Minister Ali Hamieh "continues to work" on this issue and that there is "no obstacle in this area."
Beirut and Nicosia had initiated the process of exploration of offshore resources separately and signed an agreement in 2007 delimiting their respective exclusive economic zones. However, the agreement was not ratified by the Lebanese Parliament due to the maritime dispute between Lebanon and Israel, which was recently resolved by the conclusion of a historic agreement following mediation by the United States.