By Najia Houssari -- arabnews.com -- BEIRUT: Lebanon has decided to formally negotiate refugee repatriation with Syria, a minister in the caretaker government said on Thursday. The Minister of Displaced Affairs Issam Sharaf El-Din said he would visit Damascus after the Eid Al-Adha holiday, making him the first Lebanese minister to visit the Syrian capital in an official capacity since 2011. Sharaf El-Din will discuss the plan to repatriate Syrian refugees in stages and “secure the executive mechanisms” for their return. He confirmed he had an official mandate from President Michel Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati for the Syrian refugee issue.

BACKGROUND International organizations were trying to obstruct this issue by threatening to not help refugees if they returned to their country, said Minister of Displaced Affairs Issam Sharaf El-Din. According to Sharaf El-Din, the plan stipulated “the repatriation of 15,000 refugees per month” because Lebanon believed the war in Syria had ended and the country was safe. “Lebanon will not accept the non-return of Syrian refugees to their country.” Lebanon, which is already in crisis, says Syrian refugees are a heavy burden on basic services and infrastructure. According to Lebanese protesters, the refugees shared “our bread, which has turned into a rare commodity, and people are scrambling to get it in the past days.” Lebanese ministers have previously visited Damascus and met Syrian officials, despite the suspension of Syria's Arab League membership, but they have been keen to stress the visits were personal.

by un.org — The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Ronaldo Costa Filho (Brazil): The members of …

By Barak Ravid -- axios.com -- The Biden administration pressed the Lebanese government to criticize Hezbollah’s attempt to send drones to an Israeli natural gas rig in the Mediterranean and to commit to resolving the maritime border dispute with Israel only through negotiations, sources briefed on the issue told Axios. Why it matters: The U.S. is concerned Hezbollah's actions will sabotage its efforts to broker a deal between Israel and Lebanon on the maritime border by September. Lebanon and Israel each claim a potentially gas-rich, 330-square-mile area off their borders in the Mediterranean Sea. Driving the news: The Israeli military on Saturday shot down three Hezbollah drones headed toward the Karish gas rig. Hezbollah said it launched the unarmed drones on a reconnaissance mission meant to send a “message” to Israel.

Behind the scenes: U.S. energy envoy Amos Hochstein and U.S. ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea spoke to senior political and military leaders in Lebanon over the weekend. They raised concerns about the drones incident and asked the Lebanese government to publicly speak against it, sources briefed on the issue said. According to the sources, Hochstein told several senior Lebanese officials that progress in the maritime border dispute with Israel will be achieved only through negotiations and not through provocations by Hezbollah. What they're saying: After the U.S. pressure, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Monday issued a statement committing to the U.S.-led negotiations and criticizing Hezbollah without directly mentioning it by name. "Any act that falls outside the framework of the state's responsibility and the diplomatic track within which negotiations are taking place, is unacceptable and exposes [Lebanon] to unnecessary risks," Bou Habib and Mikati said.

سجعان قزي

@AzziSejean

لا شكَّ أنَّ لدى المعنيّين النيّةَ الصادِقةَ لعدمِ تأليفِ حكومةٍ جديدة، ولا يَتورَّعون عن إعلانِها كلّما سَنحَت لهم المنابِر والحناجر. يَتوزَّعون، مع القوى السياسيّة، صلاحيّاتِ تعطيلِ المؤسّساتِ الدستوريّةِ كأنَّ التعطيلَ أصبح حالةً ميثاقيّة. كان المسُّ بمؤسّسةٍ دستوريّةٍ جريمةً لا تُغتَفر فصارت، في السنواتِ الأخيرة، وِجهةَ نَظر. كانوا يُقْدِمون عليها بخفَرٍ فصاروا يُجاهرون بها بوقاحة. كانوا يَجهَدُون لتأليفِ حكومةٍ جديدةٍ، فصاروا يَلتمِسون اجتهاداتٍ دستوريّةً من كلِّ صَوبٍ لتعويمِ حكومةٍ مستقيلة. كانت المنافسةُ لإشغالِ مناصبِ هذه المؤسّساتِ، فأمْسَت لتفريغِ المؤسّساتِ بحدِّ ذاتِها. دولةٌ في طورِ الأُفول قبلَ الاتّفاقِ على بديل.

أصلًا الدولةُ الأصيلةُ، دولةُ لبنانَ الكبير، عَدّها البعضُ دولةً بديلة. كان لبنانيّون يَعتبرونها بديلًا عن جبلٍ أشمَّ ما زال يُراودُ عِزّتَهم، وآخَرون بديلًا عن وِحدةٍ عربيّةٍ أو إسلاميّةٍ حضاريّةٍ هامدةٍ في الوِجدانِ، ومع حزبِ الله أُضيفَ مفهومُ الدولةِ الرديفةِ لإيران الخُمينيّة. واللافتُ الـمُحزِنُ أنَّ لبنانَ ما شارفَ في تاريخِه الحديثِ على السقوطِ الكيانيِّ أكثرَ ممّا حينِ تَـمَّ الاعترافُ به "وطنًا نهائيًا". في ظنّي، سببُ هذه الظاهرةِ الغريبةِ هو أنَّ الاعترافَ بنهائيّةِ لبنان تَرافقَ مع تغييرِ هُويّتِه، والخروجِ عن الحِياد، وتقويضِ انتظامِ مؤسّساتِه الدستوريّة، والانتقالِ مباشرةً من عدمِ الولاءِ للبنان إلى الرغبةِ في امتلاكِه من دونِ المرورِ بالولاءِ الحقيقيِّ والصادقِ والصافي. من يومِها صار التعيينُ قاعدةَ الديمقراطيّةِ اللبنانيّةِ والانتخابُ استثناءَها، وأصبَحت المؤسّساتُ الدستوريّةُ نوعًا من الكماليّاتِ أو الـمُتمِّمات.