Qatari Assistant Foreign Minister for Regional Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi. (Credit: @QatarEmb_London/Twitter)
BEIRUT — Assistant Foreign Minister for Regional Affairs at the Qatari Foreign Ministry Mohammed Abdel Aziz Al-Khulaifi arrived in Beirut, Sunday night, for a one-day visit to Lebanon during which he will meet a number of Lebanese officials, as the country currently is in a monthslong presidential deadlock.
At 11:15 a.m., caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with Al-Khulaifi at the Grand Serail. Al-Khulaifi is also expected to meet Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and various heads of Lebanese political parties, including Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Joumblatt and Kataeb party head Sami Gemayel, later today, as well as Grand Mufti Abdel-Latif Derian.
During the meeting, Mikati noted that “the gateway to the solution to the crises afflicting Lebanon lies in electing a new president as soon as possible,” and reaffirmed that the Qatari contributions to Lebanon are helping the country “politically and economically,” a statement from his office said.
Mikati also renewed Lebanon’s “appreciation for Qatar's support for the army in this difficult phase, enabling it to carry out its responsibilities.”
According to the statement, Mikati also stated that his government is working in accordance with the powers it has “in dealing with emergency files, as permitted by the constitution in the caretaker phase.”
According to the state-run National News Agency, Al-Khulaifi also met with Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, who described the meeting as 'brotherly."
Bou Habib also said the two 'exchanged opinions,' adding that the Qatari minister "will visit all Lebanese politicians and religious figures to get informed about the Lebanese situation and sense the atmosphere."
"Qatar is very close to Lebanon and never abandoned it," Bou Habib added.
Prior to the meeting, Al-Khulaifa met with The Grand Mufti of Lebanon, Abdel Latif Derian, the highest Sunni dignitary, in his residency in Dar al-Fatwa and talked about "the general Lebanese situation and the importance of its stability and unity."
The Qatari visit takes place as diplomatic efforts are underway to help solve the political crisis in Lebanon.
Doha is a member of the so-called Group of Five that met in Paris in February to discuss Lebanon's political and socio-economic crises.
During the Paris meeting, the five countries' representatives discussed the election of Lebanon's next president, the future president's program, the ideal candidate profile, their political line and their economic and financial roadmap.
After the meeting, a joint statement warned that "real support" for Lebanon will only come after a president is elected and after reforms needed to access billions of dollars in loans from international lenders are enacted.
Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's mandate expired in October. The cabinet has lacked full powers and has been serving in a caretaker capacity since May 2022 legislative elections, as Lebanon's downward economic spiral surpasses its three-year mark.
Since the onset of the crisis, Qatar has provided aid and support to Lebanon and, notably, to the Lebanese Army. Doha regularly sends financial aid that is distributed in cash among the military, whose living and working conditions have deteriorated sharply amid Lebanon's economic collapse.