Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati asserted that “full implementation of the ceasefire agreement and a halt to Israeli violations are of paramount importance to protect Lebanon's sovereignty and to facilitate the safe return of displaced persons.”
“This responsibility falls directly on the two countries that sponsored this agreement, namely the United States and France,” he stressed in his address to the annual political forum chaired by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, held Saturday evening in Rome.
Mikati referred to the phenomenal losses suffered by Lebanon as a result of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, claiming that the country would need “at least five billion dollars to support the reconstruction process,” according to World Bank estimates.
“Facing these challenges requires international support that goes beyond emergency humanitarian aid alone,” he added, stressing that “the focus must be on comprehensive medium and long-term solutions, giving priority to rebuilding Lebanon's degraded communities and infrastructure.” Mikati also stressed “the urgent need to guarantee the stability of constitutional institutions in Lebanon, starting with the election of a new President of the Republic.”
Addressing the Syrian refugee file, he said that what was most important for Lebanon was “the return of displaced Syrians to their country.” “The international community, and Europe in particular, should contribute to resolving this crisis by getting involved in recovery efforts in secure areas inside Syria,” he argued. Finally, Mikati insisted that Lebanese-Syrian relations should henceforth be “based on the principle of respect for sovereignty and good neighborliness.”
Turning to the situation in the Middle East, he said that the conflicts and instability the region has suffered represent “promising signs of a transition to long-term stability.”
“One of the main factors of this change in the Middle East is the priority given by several Arab countries, notably Saudi Arabia, to finding a just solution to the Palestinian cause, based on the two-state principle,” he concluded.
Mikati is the first Lebanese official to be the guest of honor at the annual political forum of Meloni, who also received the Lebanese Prime Minister at the Italian Council Presidency in Rome on Saturday evening.
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