Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib. (Credit: NNA)
Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib met Friday with Qatar's ambassador, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who conveyed Doha's support for the cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel and its intention to assist Lebanon in reconstruction efforts during this "critical and sensitive period of its history," according to the el-Nashra agency.
The Lebanese foreign minister thanked Qatar for "supporting the Lebanese people" and praised "Qatar's aid, which totaled over 2,240 tons of humanitarian, medical, and other assistance delivered by 20 planes, based on the needs list provided by the relevant Lebanese authorities."
Bou Habib expressed gratitude for "the care and assistance provided by Qatar in covering critical and expensive hospitalization cases for Lebanese children requiring special medical attention" and welcomed "Qatar Airways' decision to resume flights to Lebanon starting Dec. 9."
Since the end of Lebanon's civil war in the 1990s, Qatar, a member of the "Quintet" for Lebanon, has positioned itself as one of its most steadfast donors. Following the July-August 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, the gas-rich emirate notably donated $250 million to support the reconstruction of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon.
Separately, Bou Habib met with Turkey's new ambassador, Murat Lutem, during a visit in which they discussed the potential resumption of Turkish Airlines flights to Beirut. "Good news will come soon," the ambassador promised.
