HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani holding talks with the
Lebanese President General Michel Aoun at the Emiri Diwan yesterday. The
talks were attended by HH the Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad
al-Thani and HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh
Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani.
From yalibnan.com, dailystar.com.lb and gulf news
President Michel Aoun landed
in Doha Wednesday accompanied by an eight-minister delegation in
his second and last stop on a tour of Gulf countries to meet with the
Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamid al-Thani and top officials .
The emir of Qatar Wednesday praised the election of President Michel
Aoun as the “best choice” for Lebanon, saying the country has entered a
new stage following the end of the 29-month presidential vacuum. The Emir of Qatar vowed to follow up on the case of the nine abducted Lebanese soldiers following his talks with President Aoun Nine Lebanese soldiers and policemen have been held captive since
(ISIS), along with Jabhat Fatah al-Sham – formerly the Al-Qaeda-linked
Nusra Front – briefly overran the northeast border town of Arsal in
August 2014. More than 30 soldiers and policemen were initially captured, but most
were released. Some were killed in captivity, however, and nine are
still being held by ISIS. As well as the case of the nine
Lebanese servicemen held by Daesh since Aug. 2014, the talks also
included the case of Greek Orthodox Archbishop Boulos Yazigi and Syriac
Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim who were abducted in April 2013 by
armed men while travelling from the Turkish border to Aleppo. Aoun also
raised the case of Lebanese cameraman Samir Kassab, who was kidnapped by
gunmen while working near Aleppo on assignment for the U.K’s Sky News
channel in Oct. 2013.
During the session, regional and international issues, including the developments in the Middle East, were discussed. They also reviewed bilateral relations between Qatar and Lebanon and ways of enhancing them in all fields. The two sides agreed to activate the higher joint committee between the
two countries, and to promote economic and investment co-operation for
the benefit of both sides. Earlier, on arrival the Lebanese President was accorded an official reception ceremony at the Emiri Diwan. Following the official talks, HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad
al-Thani hosted a luncheon banquet in honour of President Michel Aoun
and the delegation accompanying him.
Aoun’s two-day official visit to Doha came at the invitation of the emir, with whom he met personally after his arrival. The emir expressed optimism over Aoun’s election as Lebanon’s 13th president, describing him as “the best choice.” The meeting addressed means to promote bilateral ties between the two countries. Sheikh Tamim also praised the efforts exerted by Lebanese security
agencies to preserve stability in Lebanon, which “would encourage
Qataris to visit Lebanon during the holidays.” He also expressed his country’s readiness to contribute to
development projects in Lebanon and to encourage investment in the
country.
Aoun discussed the security situation in Lebanon, reiterating that
preemptive strikes by the Lebanese Army and security agencies have
averted terror plots in the country. After the meeting, the Lebanese delegation and their Qatari
counterparts held bilateral talks to discuss matters of common interest
and means of exchanging expertise.
Syrian civil war
The emir of Qatar also discussed the conflict in Syria with Aoun, reiterating his country’s utter rejection of President Bashar Assad’s government, according to media reports Aoun, who is allied with Assad’s ally Hezbollah said that only a
political solution could resolve the conflict in the neighboring
country. He said he was anticipating the Syria talks in Astana to be a success, stressing that “wars cannot be resolved by arms.” “The intervention of [foreign] states are preventing Syrians from agreeing among each other.” The emir said that Lebanon and Qatar have similar viewpoints concerning the matter.
Saudi Arabia
Aoun travelled to Doha from Riyadh where he was a on a two day
visit said the trip had opened a new page in Saudi-Lebanese ties and
that bilateral relations had returned to normal.
Ties between Beirut and Riyadh deteriorated last year after Saudi
Arabia halted $4 billion grant to arm the Lebanese Army and security
forces. Riyadh said the move was in protest of “hostile” stances toward the kingdom linked to Hezbollah and Iran at Arab League and Islamic meetings.
This was the president’s first trip abroad since his election last October ended 2-1/2-years of political deadlock.
Important
Lebanese ambassador to Qatar Hassan Qassim Najem who held a reception at the embassy for Aoun and accompanied delegation said that the visit of President General Michel Aoun to Qatar was exceptionally important since his election came after long months of Lebanon being without a head of state.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the ambassador said that visits
made by different Lebanese presidents to Qatar in the past usually led
to an improvement in bilateral ties.
Najem acknowledged that those ties suffered from increasing tensions lately due to the recent developments in the region.
The ambassador expressed his hope that the latest visit will be another shining example of the strong ties with Qatar.
He stressed that this particular relationship was never affected by the grave events that hit the Arab world in recent years.
He added that the Lebanese people would love to see Qatari citizens visiting their country.
by Daily Star
DOHA:
The emir of Qatar Wednesday praised the election of President Michel
Aoun as the “best choice” for Lebanon, saying the country has entered a
new stage following the end of the 29-month presidential vacuum.
During
a meeting with Aoun at the emir’s palace in Doha, Sheikh Tamim bin
Hamad al-Thani pledged to follow up the case of nine Lebanese soldiers
held hostage by Daesh (ISIS) for more than two years.
Among other
things, Aoun and Sheikh Tamim agreed on the revival of the meetings of
the Higher Joint Committee formed by the two countries to be headed by
the prime ministers of Lebanon and Qatar, according to a statement
released by the president’s media office. It said that a date for a
committee meeting to discuss ways to expand bilateral cooperation would
be set later.
The Aoun-Sheikh Tamim meeting, which was attended by
key ministers from both countries, discussed ways to improve and boost
bilateral relations, the statement said. It added that Lebanese
ministers also discussed matters related to their fields as well as ways
to facilitate experience sharing.
As well as the case of the nine
Lebanese servicemen held by Daesh since Aug. 2014, the talks also
included the case of Greek Orthodox Archbishop Boulos Yazigi and Syriac
Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim who were abducted in April 2013 by
armed men while travelling from the Turkish border to Aleppo. Aoun also
raised the case of Lebanese cameraman Samir Kassab, who was kidnapped by
gunmen while working near Aleppo on assignment for the U.K’s Sky News
channel in Oct. 2013. The statement added that Aoun expressed hope that
Qatar would make efforts to determine the fate of these missing people,
having assisted in securing the release of kidnapped people in the past.
It added that the Qatari emir promised that the country would pursue
efforts in this respect, despite the sensitivity of the issue.
Aoun,
accompanied by a high-ranking delegation of eight key ministers,
arrived in Doha earlier in the day following a two-day official visit to
Saudi Arabia. In Riyadh, he held crucial talks with King Salman bin
Abdul-Aziz that also focused on bolstering bilateral ties.
Qatar
is Aoun’s second and final stop on a Gulf tour primarily aimed at
improving ties, seeking to ease restrictions against Gulf citizens
traveling to Lebanon and reviving frozen Saudi grants worth $4 billion
to the Lebanese Army and security forces.
Aoun and Sheikh Tamim
held a closed-door meeting that lasted nearly half an hour ahead of the
expanded talks attended by ministers from both countries.
Speaking
at the enlarged meeting, the Qatari emir expressed his joy at Aoun’s
visit in view of the “very strong ties between the two countries,
especially since the visit would help improve contacts between officials
in both countries and Lebanese-Qatari relations.”
“Lebanon has
entered a new stage following the presidential election. President Aoun
is the best choice because [he] will steer the country to safer shores,”
the Qatari emir said, according to the statement.
He pointed out
that Lebanon had encountered “many difficulties and challenges but was
able to overcome them and was stronger than the circumstances
surrounding it.”
Thanking the emir for his hospitality, Aoun said
he highly appreciated bilateral relations, adding that they should be
enhanced in various fields.
The president commended the stable
security situation in Lebanon, particularly the “pre-emptive operations
carried out by the Lebanese Army and security forces in fighting
terrorism.”
The Qatari emir said his country was ready to
contribute toward development projects in Lebanon, adding that he
encouraged Qatari businessmen to invest in the country.
The two sides agreed to sign a double taxation agreement, a ministerial source with the Lebanese delegation told The Daily Star.
Aoun
also brought up the strain caused to Lebanon by hosting more than 1
million Syrian refugees, the source said. He added that the Qatari emir
had promised to increase aid to Lebanon to assist with this.
In
addition to discussing regional developments, the situation in Syria and
the importance of reaching a political solution to restore stability to
the war-ravaged country and end the sufferings of Syrian refugees, Aoun
also brought up the case of Lebanese nationals deported from Qatar
being able to reunite with their families.
The two sides agreed to
study this matter carefully and positively, the statement said, noting
that there were 24,000 Lebanese living in Qatar.
At the end of the
talks, the emir hosted a lunch for Aoun and the accompanying
delegation, which was also attended joined by senior Qatari officials.
However, conflicting views emerged during the discussions on the Syrian conflict.
While
the Qatari emir reiterated his country’s position of being opposed to
the Syrian regime and President Bashar Assad, Aoun stressed that only a
political solution could end the conflict in Syria, a ministerial
sources told The Daily Star.
Aoun said that he was waiting for the
outcome of the Syria peace talks in Kazak capital later this month,
stressing that “wars cannot be resolved by arms.”
When the
Lebanese president noted that intervention by foreign countries in the
Syrian conflict was preventing the Syrians from reaching an agreement,
Sheikh Tamim said that viewpoints in this respect were identical, the
source said.
Later, addressing Lebanese expatriates in Doha, Aoun
said that Lebanese unity was pivotal to preserving the country’s
security and stability.
“Our unity with each other has led to
maintaining security and stability. A new rule began with the election
of a president and the formation of a government. Decisions were taken
quickly with absolute priority to building Lebanon,” Aoun said during a
reception held in his honor by the Lebanese Ambassador to Qatar Hasan
Najem at the Sheraton Hotel in Doha Wednesday night.
“All
indications at the beginning of this term show that Lebanon is on the
right track,” he said. Aoun said the government was working to draw up
“integrated economic plans” to provide electricity, water and roads as
well as implement development projects.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on January 12, 2017, on page 1.
