Positive outcome of Ortagus meeting with Lebanese officials

U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus, deputy special envoy of President Donald Trump for Middle East peace, held a 'constructive' meeting Saturday morning with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, according to the Baabda palace. This meeting comes amid growing tensions in Lebanon, and the expressed desire of the Israeli state to normalize its relations with Beirut over time.

The meeting, initially a one-on-one between Joseph Aoun and Morgan Ortagus, then including her accompanying delegation, focused on 'the situation in South Lebanon, the Lebanon-Syria border, as well as financial and economic reforms to combat corruption,' reports the presidency on X. The Baabda palace also described the meeting as 'constructive.' Ms. Ortagus has not made any public statement following her meeting, according to local media.

The envoy then met with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berry, and Army Commander-in-Chief Rodolphe Haykal.

According to L’Orient Today, the meetings that Ortagus held with Aoun and Salam were also positive. The U.S. envoy expressed her support for the reforms initiated by the government, ranging from the lifting of banking secrecy to the restructuring of the sector, as well as the adoption of a mechanism for appointments. She also emphasized the importance of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Ortagus is expected to meet with the new governor of the Bank of Lebanon (BDL), Karim Souhaid.

Application of 1701

Regarding Hezbollah’s weapons, the envoy praised the measures taken by Lebanon at Beirut International Airport and insisted on continuing the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, without mentioning a specific timeline. The importance of the withdrawal of Israeli forces from South Lebanon, as well as the reconstruction of areas damaged by the war, were also part of her discussions.

Ortagus highlighted the importance of negotiating the border and resolving pending issues with Israel. Lebanese officials, for their part, proposed setting up a military technical committee similar to the one that worked on the maritime border demarcation with the Jewish state or adopting "shuttle diplomacy," similar to the approach used by her predecessor, Amos Hochstein. According to our information, these proposals were well received by Ortagus.

Meeting with Geagea

The U.S. envoy was also received in Meerab by the head of the Lebanese Forces (LF) Samir Geagea. “The meeting focused on the need to implement the ceasefire agreement and its related arrangements, particularly Resolution 1701 in all its aspects, including extending state authority and its legitimate forces over the entire territory, disarming Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, controlling the border with Syria, full control of air and sea crossings, and completing the Israeli withdrawal from the remaining areas in the South,” reports the LF in a statement. “The collection of illegal weapons is a fundamental Lebanese requirement,” emphasized Geagea, who also discussed with the U.S. envoy reconstruction projects and economic revitalization.

The envoy then met with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Army Rodolphe Haykal. She also consulted with Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Raggi.

Morgan Ortagus might also hold a meeting with the new governor of the Banque du Liban (BDL), Karim Souhaid. This marks her second visit to Lebanon since she assumed office in the Trump administration early January.

This is the second visit by the U.S. envoy since taking office in early January in the Trump administration.