Lebanon’s acting Prime Minister Nayib Mikati has said that several foreign countries are «preparing» a solution to the country’s political crisis over the presidential vacancy after Parliament failed to elect a replacement for Michel Aoun, whose term expired on October 31.
«According to foreign reports, there is something being prepared to resolve the crisis, but things need time,» said Mikati, who said he was open to convening a government meeting «when necessary and urgent,» as reported by the Lebanese news portal Naharnet.
The Lebanese Parliament, divided between the bloc headed by the Shiite militia-party Hezbollah and its opponents -without any of them having a clear majority-, closed last week its tenth session without managing to elect the new president of the country. The next one is scheduled to be held as early as 2023.
To be elected, the president must obtain the support of two-thirds of the parliamentarians–86 out of 128–in the first round or an absolute majority in the event that more ballots have to be held, as provided for in Article 49 of the Lebanese Constitution. Aoun was elected president in 2016 after nearly half a hundred parliamentary sessions that lasted two and a half years.
On the other hand, Mikati has said that the incident in which an Irish ‘blue helmet’ of the United Nations Interim Force for Lebanon (UNIFIL) was killed last week was «probably not premeditated», as it took place outside the mission’s area of operations.
However, he has acknowledged that it was «not an ordinary incident» and said that it «must be taken seriously and fully investigated so that there is accountability.» «We hope to reach a conclusion soon,» said the Lebanese Prime Minister, who confirmed that there is cooperation with UNIFIL.
UNIFIL was deployed in the country in 1978 and restored after the 2006 conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia-party Hezbollah, which lasted just over a month and resulted in the death of some 1,200 people in Lebanon – mostly civilians – and 160 Israelis – mostly soldiers – as well as significant material damage in the Arab country.
Mikati also rejected reports of alleged arms shipments from Iran to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and said that the army and security agencies «have stressed that investigations have confirmed that these reports are unfounded and that no arms are entering through the airport».
Lebanon has been mired for several years in a deep and protracted political, economic and social crisis that has resulted in more than 70 percent of the population living below the poverty line and a banking system paralyzed since October 2019.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
