By Hisham Ibrahim, Sanaa Allam

Egyptian Trade and Industry Minister Tarek Qabil met Tuesday with Lebanese Agriculture Minister Ghazi Zoaiter to discuss means of mutual cooperation in agriculture and trade fields. During the meeting, Minister Zoaiter announced that Lebanon is the 13th largest investor in Egypt since Lebanese investments in the Egyptian market worth US$2.8 billion. These investments are injected into 1,342 projects in fields of agriculture and textiles in addition to chemical, electrical, and paper industries.

Zoaiter met with the Egyptian minister during his first official visit to Cairo after forming the new Lebanese government. The Egyptian Minister emphasised on government's keenness to deepen economic cooperation with Lebanon and raising joint trade rates and investments within the upcoming period. Both sides agreed on removing all obstacles facing trade flow between Egypt and Lebanon.

"Lebanon is the gate for Egyptian exports to enter Africa among 'Egypt- Lebanon to Africa' Initiative", Qabil added, clarifying that Egyptian exports to Lebanon rose by 65 percent in 2016. Egypt's building materials sector was the largest exporter to Lebanon since its exports recorded US$277 million in 2016, making a 225 percent increase, the minister noted.

He pointed out that Egypt's exports of potatoes are expected to rise to 60,000 tonnes in 2017 from 50,000 tonnes in 2016. During the meeting, Qabil discussed the Lebanese suggestion to pay the value of Lebanese apple imports to Egypt with the Egyptian pound

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.

The 74th Golden Globe Awards took place yesterday in LA, and it’s fair to say another kind of LA dominated the night. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone’s La La Land won every award it was up for (including best actor and actress nods for the pair) but when it came to the red carpet, many stars were looking further afield for sartorial expertise. And there’s one country in particular that seems to be churning out kings and queens of couture faster than any other. Reams of celebrities plumped for show-stopping gowns from Lebanese designers at the awards, with lashings of lace, tonnes of tulle and gemstones galore from labels including Zuhair Murad and Elie Saab.