Lebanon PM vows to press ahead with key reforms

Najib Mikati, Caretaker PM of Lebanon, addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York, on Wednesday. (Reuters)

• MPs welcome Saudi-France-US agreement on ‘next phase of rescue roadmap’
• Saudi Arabia, US and France expressed their continuing support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and stability

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has promised to move ahead with urgently needed reforms after Saudi Arabia, France and the US agreed on a rescue roadmap for the crisis-hit country.
Representatives of the three countries issued a joint statement early on Thursday following a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The statement highlighted their willingness to work with Lebanon, but warned that support for the next phase of the rescue is subject to compliance with key provisions.
These include “the formation of a government capable of implementing the structural and economic reforms urgently needed to address Lebanon’s political and economic crises, specifically those reforms needed to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund,” the joint statement said.
Saudi Arabia, US and France expressed their continuing support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and stability.
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari said on Twitter that the joint statement carried a message that the Taif Agreement is “the guardian of national unity and civil peace in Lebanon.”
MP Marwan Hamadeh called on Lebanese political parties to read the joint statement and the Saudi ambassador’s tweet thoroughly.
The MP called for a conference aimed at forming a tripartite state that would allow Hezbollah to become “a partner in governance.”
Mikati, who represented Lebanon at the UN General Assembly, addressed the country’s social and economic crisis in a speech on Wednesday night.
He said the crisis was threatening all institutions, driving most of the population below the poverty line, and causing a brain drain among the country’s young.
The caretaker PM pledged to move forward with legislative and administrative reforms, and said that Lebanon relies on its international friends, especially among Arab countries.
He reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to the Taif Agreement, and vowed to deal strongly with any threat to its provisions.
Mikati told delegates that “a sovereign, independent, strong and capable Lebanese state is critical to peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region.”
MP Abdul Rahman Al-Bizri told Arab News that the Saudi-US-French joint statement reflects the hopes of all Lebanese in terms of holding presidential elections, forming an effective government and implementing political reforms.
MP George Okais said the statement highlighted key issues that need to be addressed if Lebanon is to regain stability.
A political observer told Arab News that the terms outlined in the joint statement follow on from the Taif Agreement.
The statement insisted on the implementation of all international resolutions, including those restricting the supply of weapons to Lebanon’s armed forces and Internal Security Forces.
The three countries also highlighted the importance of “timely elections” as Lebanon’s parliament prepares to elect a new president.
“It is critical to elect a president who can unite the Lebanese people, and work with regional and international actors to overcome the current crisis,” the joint statement said.
“We affirm the need for the Lebanese government to implement the provisions of UN Security Council resolutions 1559, 1680, 1701, 2650, and other relevant international resolutions, including those issued by the Arab League, and commit to the Taif Agreement which enables the preservation of national unity and civil peace in Lebanon,” the joint statement said.