The caretaker prime minister at the Grand Serail during a meeting with the association of economic journalists in Lebanon. (Credit: Grand Serail)
BEIRUT — Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati is scheduled to meet with Amos Hochstein, the American special envoy for global infrastructure and energy security, in Munich later this week.
According to Mikati, the two will be discussing Lebanon's progress toward reaching calm and stability, especially in the south of the country, where Hezbollah and Israel have been firing at each other across the border since Oct. 8.
Speaking at a meeting at the Grand Serail with the association of Lebanese economic journalists, attended by L'Orient-Le Jour, the senior official said that he was due to take part in a series of meetings on Thursday and Friday on the sidelines of the annual Munich security conference.
Mikati told the meeting of journalists that the fighting in the South currently constitutes "the country's greatest challenge." He also specifically stated that Hezbollah was "not seeking to extend the conflict."
During his speech today, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that if Israel widens the conflict, then Hezbollah would widen the conflict — implying the party would not be the first to escalate.
He also declared that Lebanon was in favor of "full implementation" of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and of strengthening the capabilities of the Lebanese Army.
This resolution put an end to the July 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, and mandated the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the area controlled by UNIFIL, in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah's influence is predominant.
In response to a question about a recent initiative put forward by the French foreign office, Mikati said: "We appreciate the French efforts to support Lebanon, but we did not receive an official paper from the French side, but rather a paper of ideas to which they requested an answer."