Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. (Credit: National News Agency)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam arrived in Egypt on Saturday to attend the inauguration of Cairo's Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which will take place in the evening.
Salam is accompanied by Economy and Trade Minister Amer Bsat and his adviser Claude Hage. He was welcomed at Cairo International Airport by his Egyptian counterpart, Mostafa Madbouly, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
The head of government will also lead the Lebanese delegation on Sunday at the tenth session of the Lebanese-Egyptian Higher Committee, a meeting during which more than 15 agreements and memoranda of understanding resulting from the committee's work are expected to be signed between Beirut and Cairo.
Egypt has played a key role in the Gaza cease-fire agreement. The head of its intelligence services, Hassan Rachad, visited Lebanon at the end of October, where he met with President Joseph Aoun and several other Lebanese officials. The previous week, he had traveled to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Egypt clearly hopes to reestablish itself as a key player in a region that is rapidly changing. Its reading of the regional situation is clear: Circumstances in the region have shifted, and the issue of Hezbollah's arsenal is now on the table, but it must be addressed outside the logic of force.
Hassan Rachad's visit to Lebanon came amid threats and leaks attributed to Israeli officials or diplomats, mentioning the possibility of a large-scale Israeli offensive against Hezbollah — and possibly, this time, against all of Lebanon.
