Egyptian Foreign Minister calls for decoupling Lebanon's presidential election from cease-fire

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati, who arrived in Beirut on Wednesday on a visit “whose sole aim is to stop the shameful Israeli aggression in Lebanon as soon as possible,” rejected any external pressure that would make the election of a president conditional on the establishment of a cease-fire in Lebanon, while calling on the Lebanese not to wait for the end of the war to fill the post that has been vacant since October 2022.

“It is very important for Lebanon to have a president in these difficult circumstances. On the other hand, we reject any external pressure in this matter, and we also reiterate our refusal to accept the cease-fire as a precondition” for unlocking this deadline, he said, alluding to the Shiite Hezbollah-Amal tandem's blocking of the ballot. “These are clear Egyptian positions, and we emphasize once again that this issue belongs to the Lebanese,” he insisted, in what appears to be a criticism of Western pressure in this direction.

Arriving on a plane carrying humanitarian aid to Lebanon, the head of Egyptian diplomacy asserted that “Egypt stands fully by Lebanon and provides it with all possible support.” “We are in contact with all international and regional parties, and on a daily basis with the United States, France, the European Union and our Arab partners to stop this aggression.”

Lebanon has been in a presidential vacancy since Oct. 31, 2022. Its government is dealing with current affairs, and its Parliament, deeply divided on issues such as Hezbollah's arsenal and defense strategy, is unable to meet.

Meeting with Joseph Aoun

Received by the head of the troop, Joseph Aoun, the Egyptian official expressed “Egypt's commitment to supporting the Lebanese Army.” He was then received by the Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berry, in Ain al-Tineh. At the end of his visit, he stressed the need to “elect a consensual president” and “implement U.N. Resolution 1701.” “I assured Berri that the priority of Egyptian initiatives is the issue of an unconditional cease-fire,” observed Abdel Aati. “We condemn the aggression and continue our contacts to put an end to it. We appreciate Berri's wisdom as a veteran of Lebanese politics, and stress the need to normalize the work of state institutions, in particular the presidency by ending the vacancy,” he added, insisting once again that "the outcome of the crisis should not be conditional on the cease-fire."

Abdel Aati reiterated this position to outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati, insisting on “the firm refusal of any external orders” on Lebanon. According to a Serail press release, the head of Egyptian diplomacy asserted that “no outside nation or entity has the right to impose its next president on the Lebanese people.” He called for the election of a “consensual president who enjoys the support of all Lebanese communities. The Lebanese presidency should not be a condition for the cessation of hostilities,” he insisted. He also assured that Egypt was continuing its “exchanges with the United States, the Europeans, [its] Arab brothers, and all international parties, including China and Russia, in order to obtain an immediate cease-fire.”

For his part, Mikati reaffirmed that “the priority for Lebanon is to put an end to the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanese regions and to the massacres committed by the Israeli enemy.” He stressed “the importance of favoring a peaceful solution based on the implementation of Resolution 1701, and of forcing the Israeli enemy to implement it in full.” He added that “Lebanon rejects any condition that would constitute a departure from 1701,” insisting on “the government's commitment to strengthening the army's presence in the south in cooperation with U.N. forces.”

The Egyptian diplomat also met the former head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Druze leader Walid Joumblatt, as well as outgoing Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and the Mufti of the Republic, Abdellatif Derian. He also spoke by telephone with the Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai.

Lebanon has been under Israeli fire since Oct. 8, 2023, the day after Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza. At the time, Hezbollah announced the opening of a front in support of Gaza, from south Lebanon. Since mid-September, Israel's aggression in Lebanon has intensified. Since Oct. 8, 2023, 3,287 people have been killed and 14,222 wounded in Lebanon.

This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.

Le ministre égyptien des AE appelle à découpler élection présidentielle au Liban et cessez-le-feu