Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called, in two separate statements on Sunday, for speeding up the formation of the Lebanese government.

 

 

During two separate meetings with the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, in Cairo, the two officials underlined the need to continue “providing support” to Beirut to overcome the current challenges.

 

 

Aboul Gheit discussed with Kubis, at the headquarters of the Arab League’s General Secretariat, “the situation in Lebanon, and the efforts to overcome the deep political and economic crisis, in addition to the difficulties and obstacles hindering the formation of the new Lebanese government.”

 

 

The Arab League secretary-general stressed “the importance of expediting the formation of a government that is able to meet the aspirations of the Lebanese people by starting to implement comprehensive reform.”

 

 

 

“The delicate stage that Lebanon is currently going through requires an exceptional effort from the Lebanese leaders and politicians to reach compromises that allow the birth of a new government,” he stated.

 

 

The talks also touched on efforts to prepare for a meeting of the Lebanon Support Group via video conference later this week at the invitation of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

 

 

In the same context, Shoukry affirmed his country’s “steadfast support for the security and stability of Lebanon.”

 

 

He expressed “confidence in the ability of the Lebanese people to overcome that stage and face the challenges posed by the explosion of the Beirut port.”

 

 

“It is important to prioritize the Lebanese national interest in order to meet the aspirations of the Lebanese people, and to distance the country from the dangers of regional conflicts… by accelerating the formation of a government on constitutional foundations,” Shoukry added, according to a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry.