The UN chief’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at his daily news conference in New York on Monday that Antonio Guterres will meet with Lebanese political leaders during his visit.
The UN Secretary General is also expected to travel to the southern part of the country to meet the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon – UNIFIL. The UN chief expressed his support and gratitude to UNIFIL peacekeepers for their work in extremely challenging circumstances.
Congratulations to the new leadership of the country
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the secretary-general spoke by phone with Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, on Saturday and congratulated him on being elected to the post.
The spokesperson later said in response to a question from a reporter that the Secretary General also welcomed the news of Nawaf Salam’s appointment as the new Prime Minister.
“I think this is another sign of the positive political progress we have seen in Lebanon in the last few days, which has finally seen the presidential election and now the formation of a new government,” he said.
Nawaf Salam is the President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest court of the United Nations. He has been on this court since 2018 and was elected president of this court in February 2024.
He previously served as Lebanon’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2007 to 2017.
Special coordinator’s press conference
In a related development, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, during a secret meeting of the Security Council on Monday, informed about the positive developments seen in Lebanon in recent weeks.
In addition to Jeanine Hennis-Plassert, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix also gave the latest update on the meeting.
The secret meeting of the Security Council was proposed by France and hosted by Algeria as the Council’s president for the month of January.
Jeanine Hennis-Plaschart welcomed a new presidential election in Lebanon on January 9 and expressed hope that the election would accelerate a process to strengthen institutions and enact the country’s much-needed reforms.
He also noted a significant reduction in violence after the war ended on November 27.
The war is over
Lebanon and Israel have reached a ceasefire agreement after more than a year of fighting between Hezbollah fighters and the Israeli army. The fighting began after the war in Gaza began.
Also in the past, a war broke out between the two sides in 2006 and the Security Council passed Resolution No. 1701 in August of that year, calling for an end to the war as well as respect for the “Blue Line” separating Lebanon and Israel. was called UN peacekeepers monitor this line.
Important milestones
He also stressed that with the passage of two-thirds of the 60-day period stipulated in the agreement, “we are at the final and therefore the most important stage”.
He urged all parties to ensure that “time does not run out” without developing a clear and accurate understanding of the development or how to manage expectations.
Request for help
Jeanine Hennis-Plaschart, citing the humanitarian situation, said Lebanon needed a “huge increase” in support of emergency aid appeals. This appeal has been extended from January to March 2025.
He expressed hope that the recently held presidential election would flow resources into the country for speedy economic recovery and reconstruction.