Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati met on Monday, June 12, with UNIFIL commander Major General Aroldo Lazaro accompanied by UNIFIL’s political advisor Hervé Lecoq in the presence of Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib. The meeting mainly discussed the security situation in southern Lebanon.
Mikati reiterated “Lebanon’s commitment to UN Resolution 1701 and the constant coordination between the Lebanese armed forces and the UNIFIL in order to maintain stability along the Lebanese border.”
He called on the UN to “pressure Israel into halting their recurring violations of the Blue Line and the Lebanese sovereignty.”
Mikati reaffirmed “Lebanon’s right to reclaim its occupied land.”
In an unrelated development, the caretaker prime minister also met with Caretaker Justice Minister Henry Khoury.
After the meeting, Khoury said, “I have met with the Prime Minister ahead of Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting in the presence of the Cabinet’s secretary general, judge Mahmoud Makkieh, with whom we share a great and genuine friendship. I provided a comprehensive overview of the curriculum vitae and professional backgrounds of the two lawyers Emmanuel Daoud and Pascal Beauvais, based on the information I received and presented. After careful consideration, I opted for this selection.”
“Prime Minister Mikati showed great understanding and support for my choice, and we will provide detailed information tomorrow when the Cabinet convenes. I am hopeful that they will get approved,” Khoury added.
The two lawyers have been chosen to represent the Lebanese government’s interests in the lawsuit filed in France against Banque du Liban’s Governor Riad Salameh. The charges leveled against him include allegations of fraud, money laundering and illicit enrichment.
A European judicial team from France, Germany and Luxembourg is conducting a corruption investigation into an array of alleged financial crimes attributed to Salameh.
