Mitri reaffirms Lebanon’s support for Arab Peace Initiative at UN meetings

BEIRUT — Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative, as defined at the Arab League summit in Beirut in 2002, during ministerial-level meetings at the United Nations headquarters in New York on July 28 and 29.

Initiated by France and Saudi Arabia, the meetings focused on the uncertain future of the two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

Despite a cease-fire that took effect on Nov. 27 following 13 months of war between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli bombardments in Lebanon have continued. In this context, Mitri reiterated “Lebanon’s commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative and its adherence to the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, as well as to the security arrangements decided last November, while Israel continues its violations, aggressions and occupation of Lebanese territories.”

He also welcomed the positions taken by Saudi Arabia and France, reported the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The Arab Peace Initiative calls for Israel’s full withdrawal from all occupied Palestinian territories — including the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights — in exchange for normalized relations with Arab countries. It also supports the creation of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a just solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees.

The U.N. meetings are seen as a precursor to a summit of heads of state expected to take place in September on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. During that summit, France is expected to formally recognize the State of Palestine, as announced by President Emmanuel Macron on July 24. The United Kingdom has said it may follow suit in September.

At the U.N., Mitri also called for “the [annual] renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) next August.”

To date, the United States — aligned with the Israeli position — has remained ambiguous about whether it will vote in favor of renewing UNIFIL’s mission in its current form.

On the sidelines of the conference, Mitri held bilateral meetings with representatives from several countries, including heads of government, ministers or delegation leaders from Palestine, Qatar, Jordan, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Turkey, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Luxembourg, Portugal and Germany, NNA reported.