Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam discussed on Friday, 18 September, at the Baabda Palace, the situation in southern Lebanon, the results of the consultations held in Paris and the country’s upcoming diplomatic deadlines. The talks included preparations for the international conference to support the army and the Internal Security Forces, Lebanese participation in the UN General Assembly in New York and a forthcoming meeting on Lebanon in Washington. Both officials also discussed the government’s continued review of the budget.
Aoun and Salam take stock of southern Lebanon
The security situation in southern Lebanon occupied an important place in the interview between Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam. The President of the Republic stressed the continued Israeli attacks on villages and localities in the South, in a context where the question of stability in the region remains at the centre of Lebanese diplomatic action.
This situation directly affects several issues that Beirut must defend with its international partners. In particular, the Lebanese authorities are seeking to strengthen the military capabilities, whose role in the South is one of the main elements of the discussions with the United States, France and other international partners in Lebanon.
The interview between the two officials thus takes place before several important diplomatic meetings. Joseph Aoun informed Nawaf Salam about the results of his meetings in Paris and the preparations for an international conference dedicated to supporting Lebanese military and security institutions.
Aoun presents to Salam the results of his meetings in Paris
The Head of State briefed the Prime Minister on the results of his talks in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and King Abdullah II of Jordan. These consultations have included addressing the Lebanese situation and the conditions necessary to strengthen the stability of the country.
Joseph Aoun also reported on the preparatory discussions for the international conference to support the Lebanese Army and the Internal Security Forces. This initiative is intended to mobilize international assistance for both institutions, while the authorities assign them a central role in restoring State authority and internal security.
Preparation for this conference takes place in a particularly sensitive period for the army. The Mission must carry out its missions throughout the country while strengthening its deployment in the South, where the situation remains unstable as a result of Israeli attacks.
In particular, external support must help to preserve the operational capabilities of Lebanese forces. The economic and financial crisis that has affected the country since 2019 has severely reduced the state’s resources and affected the incomes of the military and members of the security forces.
United Nations General Assembly on the Programme
Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam also prepared Lebanon’s participation in the meetings of the UN General Assembly in New York, whose high-level week is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, 22 September.
The Prime Minister will lead the Lebanese delegation. This presence will provide Beirut with an opportunity to present its positions to its international partners at a time when several issues of direct concern to the country remain open, including the situation in the South and support to State institutions.
The New York agenda should also allow Nawaf Salam to have a series of contacts outside the General Assembly. The annual meeting brings together Heads of State, Heads of Government and Foreign Ministers and is one of the main multilateral diplomatic meetings of the year.
For Lebanon, this sequence comes after the Paris consultations mentioned by Joseph Aoun and before other international meetings. The authorities thus seek to keep the Lebanese situation on the agenda of discussions with their partners.
A meeting on Lebanon also planned in Washington
Both officials referred to a meeting to be held in Washington, D.C., on the Lebanese situation. The details of this meeting were not specified in the Presidency communiqué, but it is part of a broader diplomatic sequence involving several Lebanese partners.
Washington retains an important role in matters concerning the southern part of the country and the Lebanese army. The United States is also among the main international interlocutors in Beirut in the discussions on stability and security.
The planned meeting in the United States is taking place alongside another Lebanese agenda in Washington on the economic front. Finance Minister Yassine Jaber announced on Friday a forthcoming sequence of meetings with the international financial institutions, while Beirut is seeking to move towards a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
These different meetings place Lebanese diplomacy ahead of a series of close deadlines, both in New York and Washington, while the authorities are simultaneously trying to secure security support and advance financial reforms.
Parliament’s confidence also mentioned
Joseph Aoun also congratulated Nawaf Salam after the renewed confidence in his government by the Chamber of Deputies following the parliamentary debate.
This political sequence comes at a time when the executive must simultaneously manage several urgent issues: tensions in the South, financial negotiations, restructuring of the banking sector, preparation of the budget and Lebanon’s international commitments.
In particular, the Salam government must continue to implement the financial reforms expected after the adoption of bank restructuring legislation. The project on the treatment of the « financial flaw », i.e. the distribution of accumulated losses in the system, is now one of the most sensitive economic cases.
On the same day, an International Monetary Fund mission completed four days of meetings in Beirut. Discussions focused on further reforms and preparations for a possible IMF service agreement.
The government must continue to examine the budget
The meeting between Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam finally focused on the further examination of the budget by the Council of Ministers. The government is currently working on Budget 2027, in parallel with discussions on fiscal reforms.
This simultaneousity could affect the legislative timetable. On Friday, the Minister of Finance indicated that the draft budget should be forwarded to Parliament on October 2. Its consideration could delay the start of parliamentary discussions on the financial loophole text, without, according to the government, questioning the willingness to move this issue forward.
Budget preparation takes place in an environment in which Lebanon seeks to gradually restore the functioning of its financial institutions and convince its international partners of the reality of the reforms undertaken.
The next few weeks will thus concentrate several deadlines for the executive. Nawaf Salam is due to lead the Lebanese delegation to the UN General Assembly from next week, while international consultations must continue on support for the army and economic issues. At the same time in Beirut, the Council of Ministers will have to continue its examination of the budget before its planned transmission to Parliament in early October.
