Since his return from Riyadh, Mikati seems to be unrelenting
The caretaker prime minister appears to want to capitalize on his meeting with MBS to establish himself as Lebanon’s sole Sunni leader and guarantee his return to the Serail.
L'Orient Today / By Salah Hijazi,
15 December 2022 12:34
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati receives Army Commander-in-Chief Joseph Aoun at the Serail, Dec. 14, 2022. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra)
The holiday season is once again smiling on Najib Mikati.Almost a year to the day after obtaining — via French mediation — a brief telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the caretaker prime minister was received on Saturday in Riyadh by the kingdom’s strongman — a first for a Lebanese official since Saudi Arabia withdrew from the Lebanese political scene in 2018.This breakthrough was, once again, the fruit of Parisian efforts in a bid to restore relations between the two sides.This positive result for Mikati comes amidst a tug-of-war with Gebran Bassil and Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement which has taken a confessional turn: Aounists have been accusing the premier of encroaching on the prerogatives of the president, a position reserved for Christians. Read more: Mikati from Bkirki: Rai emphasized the...
The holiday season is once again smiling on Najib Mikati.Almost a year to the day after obtaining — via French mediation — a brief telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the caretaker prime minister was received on Saturday in Riyadh by the kingdom’s strongman — a first for a Lebanese official since Saudi Arabia withdrew from the Lebanese political scene in 2018.This breakthrough was, once again, the fruit of Parisian efforts in a bid to restore relations between the two sides.This positive result for Mikati comes amidst a tug-of-war with Gebran Bassil and Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement which has taken a confessional turn: Aounists have been accusing the premier of encroaching on the prerogatives of the president, a position reserved for Christians. Read more: Mikati from Bkirki: Rai...