Naharnet, President Michel Suleiman said that Lebanon was fully committed to the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and added that the nternational community should urge Israel to stop its threats against Lebanon. "Lebanon reiterates its full commitment to Resolution 1701," Suleiman said in a speech Tuesday before the 63rd U.N. General Assembly session in New York. "Lebanon is facing a series of dangers and challenges which require the international community to compel Israel to implement Resolution 1701
The third day of President Michel Suleiman’s visit to New York started in the morning at the U.N. General Assembly hall and ended at night in a meeting to assess and prepare for the last day which is distinguished in appointments with heads of state.
Naharnet, which is covering Suleiman’s visit, recorded the following on Day 3:
– Around 10:00 am Suleiman, accompanied by Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh headed for the U.N. General Assembly session.
– Around 2:00 pm, Suleiman left the U.N. headquarters following three distinguished handshakes:
– The first with U.S. President George Bush, which was the second quick meeting between the two leaders in 24 hours after the small talk on the sidelines of the welcoming ceremony hosted by Bush on Monday. The two presidents pledged to plunge into details during their meeting at the White House on Thursday.
– The second with French President Nicolas Sarkozy where the two leaders agreed to hold in-depth talks on the sidelines of a Francophone meeting scheduled in Canada next month.
– The third with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and his aide Faisal al-Miqdad.
Following the handshakes, Suleiman moved on to meet with the Qatari delegation which is staying at the building facing the U.N. headquarters where the Lebanese president held talks with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani before returning to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel where he dedicated himself to putting the final touches on the speech he delivered before the U.N. General Assembly at midday.
About 1:30 pm, Suleiman and his wife had lunch at the Waldorf Astoria hotel when head of the Presidential Guards Brig. Gen. Wadih Ghafri as well as a number of officers and aides dined at the same restaurant.
At 2:15 pm, Suleiman headed a preparatory meeting of the president’s advisors in the presence of Nawaf Salam, the permanent representative of Lebanon to the United Nations, before moving to the U.N. headquarters.
At 5:00 pm, Suleiman returned to the hotel where he met a small group of journalists and thanked them for covering his U.S. trip.
Suleiman, afterwards, met with Lebanon’s ambassadors to New York and Washington, Nawaf Salam and Antoine Shedid, in addition to the president’s advisor ambassador Naji Abi Assi to assess progress of the visit.
