Najib Mikati receiving representatives of the embassies of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council at the Grand Serail in Beirut. (Credit: NNA)
Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati held an "emergency" meeting at the Grand Serail with several diplomats and representatives of international organizations, during which he called for a special session of the Security Council and a "new U.N. resolution" in the event of a cease-fire.
The meeting was convened by the Prime Minister two days after the killing of three Civil Defense volunteers in South Lebanon by an Israeli strike in Froun, in the Bint Jbeil district. This attack raised the number of rescuers killed in Lebanon since Oct. 8, 2023, to 25, with a total of 138 civilians having lost their lives. Overall, 606 people have been killed in Lebanon.
After the meeting, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib stated that Mikati had requested "a Security Council session on Lebanon, specifically addressing the targeting of civilians" through Lebanon’s U.N. mission. "I will begin working on this issue immediately," Bou Habib confirmed.
He added: “We have not asked the Security Council to stop the fighting but for a consultative meeting that could lead to that or at least prevent civilians from being targeted. We are acting on all international fronts. We are engaging with all countries, as well as the Security Council, and in the event of a cease-fire, there will need to be a new resolution.”
'We Will Try to Convince Hezbollah'
In response to a question, he clarified that any resolution on a cease-fire would be a “new resolution” and not a “modification of Resolution 1701,” which was adopted by the U.N. in 2006 to end the previous conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
“If a good resolution is adopted, we will accept it as a state and try to persuade Hezbollah, as it is the responsibility of the Lebanese state. Hezbollah is not a U.N. member, Lebanon is, and from this perspective, Hezbollah is with us,” he concluded, denouncing that, according to him, “it is Israel that refuses” the prospect of a cease-fire. He noted that in an interview this weekend with Al Jazeera, the Israeli government had informed him, through intermediaries, that it was not “interested” in a cease-fire with Lebanon, even if an agreement were reached to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
The meeting at the Grand Serail brought together several members of Mikati's government and the chargé d'affaires of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members (China, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Russia). Also present were the ambassadors of Switzerland, South Korea, Japan and Algeria, as well as the European Union Ambassador Sandra De Wael and the U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Janine Hennis-Plasschaert.
Abandoning the Term 'De-escalation'
During the meeting, Bou Habib reiterated the Lebanese government's call for a "cease-fire and the end of the war," adding that they had "informed most concerned parties that we were ready to engage in indirect negotiations with the Israelis for this purpose." He also stated that "most ambassadors had condemned these attacks, indirectly, by expressing their opposition to the targeting of civilians."
"It was agreed to stop using the term 'de-escalation' and instead use the phrase 'stop the attacks,'" he clarified.
Mikati's Call for Stronger U.N. Action
Mikati emphasized, according to a Grand Serail statement, the need for the U.N. Security Council to take "more effective and decisive measures" against "violations of international law and the Geneva Convention" as well as "attacks by Israel against Lebanese civilians." He called for a "quick and strong response" from the U.N. aimed at also protecting Civil Defense members who are "putting all their efforts into alleviating civilian suffering."
Mikati also thanked the Security Council members for their "support for the renewal of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate and their ongoing commitment to stability in Lebanon."