Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati met on Friday with the Arab International Quintet Committee at the Grand Serail.
The committee included Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Al-Bukhari, French Ambassador to Lebanon Hervé Magro, the Ambassador of Qatar, Sheikh Saud bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, the Ambassador of Egypt, Alaa Moussa, and US Ambassador Lisa Johnson.
After the meeting, Ambassador Moussa stated, “The circumstances Lebanon is going through necessitate the election of a new president for the republic.”
“We are highly optimistic about the presidential dossier, and what we heard today from Mikati encourages us to continue what we started within the framework of the Quintet Committee,” he said.
The Ambassador of Egypt indicated that “this direct link between what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon is not necessary,” noting that “what is happening in the Palestinian sector affects the entire region and not just Lebanon.”
He affirmed the united stance of the Quintet Committee regarding Lebanon and “our commitment to providing all assistance and facilitation as long as we feel commitment and willingness from the political forces in Lebanon.”
Moussa noted that during their previous meetings, they sensed “existing but varying desires to complete the presidential process in Lebanon.”
