Kanaan travels to Washington
The visit will last for a week and will include political and financial meetings with relevant officials in the U.S. administration, including the State Department, the Treasury Department, and Congress, in addition to meetings with the Lebanese diaspora.
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MTV Lebanon
10 hours ago
- MTV Lebanon
01 Jul 2025 18:56 PM PM Salam leads a series of ministerial meetings
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received at the Grand Serail, a delegation from the Beirut Municipal Council, headed by its Chairman Ibrahim Zeidan. The meeting addressed the most prominent challenges facing the city of Beirut in terms of development and services, in light of the current economic and social circumstances. A number of proposals and demands related to improving the performance of public facilities, in general, and strengthening municipal work were also presented. During the meeting, Premier Salam emphasized the "need to support local authorities to enable them to perform their duties as required." After the meeting, Zeidan said the municipal council delegation discussed with Premier Salam the topics and services related to the city of Beirut, and briefed him on their work program in terms of urgent and long term projects. Premier Salam later received a delegation from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), headed by Force Commander General Diodato Abagnara. During the meeting, the discussion touched on the situation on the ground in south Lebanon, the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and the ongoing cooperation between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), particularly with regard to intensifying coordination and joint operations. The emerging challenges facing the international forces' mission were also addressed. Premier Salam affirmed "the Lebanese government's full commitment to UN Resolution 1701 and its keenness to ensuring the appropriate environment that enables UNIFIL to fully implement its mandate," emphasizing "the importance of preserving the safety of its personnel." In this context, President Salam noted that "Lebanon had officially sent a letter to the United Nations requesting an extension of UNIFIL's mandate for an additional year, ending on August 31, 2026, in accordance with the Lebanese government's decision issued on May 14, 2025." On the other hand, Salam met with the Chargé d'Affaires of the Iraqi Embassy in Lebanon, Mohammed Reda Al-Husseini, with whom he discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to enhance cooperation in areas of common interest. Salam also received the Bangladeshi Ambassador to Lebanon, Major General Muhammad Jubayer Salehin, with whom he discussed te bilateral relations between the two countries.
MTV Lebanon
13 hours ago
- MTV Lebanon
Gemayel says shiite diaspora vote seen as threat to political monopoly
Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel warned that efforts to block full voting rights for Lebanese expatriates are part of a broader political scheme aimed at suppressing dissenting voices within the Shiite community and preserving outdated power structures. Following a meeting with MP Mark Daou at the Kataeb Party's headquarters in Saifi, Gemayel issued sharp criticism of the latest legislative session, from which opposition lawmakers withdrew after Speaker Nabih Berri declined to add a proposed draft law on diaspora voting to the agenda. 'Our goal was never to disrupt the session,' Gemayel said. 'There were important items up for discussion, and we wanted to attend, debate, and vote on what matters. But the way the expatriate voting issue was being manipulated left us no choice but to walk out.' Gemayel said the campaign to restrict non-resident Lebanese from voting for all 128 parliamentary seats is being driven by fear of one specific group: Shiite expatriates. 'It is becoming increasingly clear that this fear stems from the belief that Shiite voters abroad would support the Lebanese state and the project of state-building,' he said. 'The attempt to cancel their vote is not about ensuring equality between Lebanese citizens, as some claim; it is about eliminating the impact of a Shiite voice abroad that could break the current monopoly and bring diversity into the Shiite community, just as we see in other sects.' Gemayel accused opponents of using misleading rhetoric to mask their intentions. 'All the slogans raised by the other side are smokescreens to hide the truth. This only makes us more determined to ensure that expatriates can vote for the full parliamentary seats, across all districts,' he said. 'Their votes are key to liberating and rebuilding this country, and ushering in a new era of peace, openness, prosperity, reform, and modernization.' Echoing Gemayel's concerns, MP Mark Daou said his visit to the Kataeb headquarters was part of ongoing coordination with political allies on the growing crisis in Parliament and the battle for diaspora voting rights. 'I came to discuss the developments in Parliament, especially the right of over 1.5 million Lebanese expatriates to vote,' Daou said. 'More than half the chamber is committed to this right and has signed a petition that will be formally submitted to the Speaker and the Bureau of Parliament.' Daou blamed the recent legislative deadlocks on what he called a 'sweeping commitment among MPs to ensure that the diaspora is treated fairly and allowed to vote based on their home districts for all 128 lawmakers, just like residents.' 'We coordinated on how to escalate pressure, activate Parliament's internal rules, and push to place the urgent diaspora voting bill on the legislative agenda,' Daou said. 'We want it to be put to a vote and passed, as demanded by a clear majority of the Lebanese people.' Daou described the push for diaspora voting as a "decisive battle" that could reshape Lebanon's political future. 'This fight will define political participation for all Lebanese. It will also determine the real balance of power on which we can begin building a new post-conflict Lebanon—one that reopens to the world, protects its sovereignty, and gives citizens the hope of meaningful change,' he said. 'This opportunity cannot be wasted due to the obstruction of parties that remain trapped in the past,' he warned. Daou stressed that the battle is not limited to the electoral law. 'The issues of exclusive state control over weapons, full political participation, and judicial independence are core to the Lebanon we want to build,' he said. 'These are essential fights for entering a new phase in Lebanon's future.'
Nahar Net
13 hours ago
- Nahar Net
How will Lebanon respond to US paper?
by Naharnet Newsdesk 01 July 2025, 15:19 President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam have made 'significant progress' in their deliberations ahead of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack's second visit to Beirut, which is expected before July 10, Lebanese sources said. Representatives of Aoun, Berri and Salam held a lengthy meeting Monday in Baabda and 'unanimously agreed' on a draft paper in response to Barrack's demands, the sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, noting that the draft won the approval of Aoun, Berri and Salam and was also discussed between the Speaker and Hezbollah's leadership. The sources added that Lebanon will ask the U.S. to seriously press Israel in order to reach a real ceasefire, allow Lebanon to pacify the situation and 'dispel Hezbollah's concerns,' ahead of engaging in Barrack-sponsored negotiations that would 'certainly lead to unanimity over arms monopolization, seeing as it is unacceptable for the talks to be conducted under Israel's military pressure.' 'Hezbollah is still opening a window for obtaining guarantees, which is being comprehended by the three presidents, seeing us it needs to justify to its supporters the shift toward the monopolization of arms,' the sources added. Hezbollah 'needs to reassure its environment that giving up its weapons will be the reason behind Israel's withdrawal and the release of its captives,' the sources went on to say. Al-Akhbar newspaper meanwhile reported that Aoun, Berri and Salam have agreed that 'there is no need to hold a special Cabinet session to discuss the U.S. paper, seeing as PM Najib Mikati's government had agreed to the ceasefire agreement and its stipulations, and because Lebanon should not present additional commitments before knowing the next steps that will be taken by Israel.' 'The unified Lebanese stance is that Lebanon will inform the U.S. administration that Israel has to withdraw, release the captives and halt its daily attacks in return for a Lebanese commitment to tangible measures to control illegal weapons in the areas south and north of the Litani River,' al-Akhbar added. But other sources told the daily that the U.S. and Israel 'will come up with a lot of excuses to reject the settlement sought by Lebanon.' Local and foreign parties are meanwhile trying to 'intimidate' Lebanon by saying that 'Israel is preparing to escalate its attacks with harsh airstrikes that could resemble the ferocity of the strikes that assassinated Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in addition to possible additional land operations,' al-Akhbar said. Sources close to a top Lebanese leader have, however, expressed optimism that a solution for the issue of Hezbollah's arms has been put on track, seeing as Iran might have told Hezbollah and Berri to 'commit to the requirements of Resolution 1701 with its accurate stipulations,' the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported. Hezbollah is meanwhile 'inquiring about reconstruction' and Israel's 'withdrawal' ahead of agreeing to a timetable for weapons handover, informed sources told the daily, with presidential sources seeing 'unprecedented progress in Hezbollah's stance that made it agree that its arms be discussed in Cabinet soon despite all its declared stances that are rejecting that.'
