Egypt, Lebanon FMs speak via phone as Lebanese parliament set to elect president

CAIRO – 5 January 2025: Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty and his Lebanese counterpart, Abdullah Bou Habib, have discussed the latest developments in Lebanon in light of the upcoming session of the Lebanese Parliament to elect a new president.

During a phone conversation on Saturday, Abdelatty emphasized the need for intensive efforts alongside all active national parties to achieve a national consensus—one that is wholly Lebanese—to end the presidential vacancy without external interference.

The ministers also exchanged views on the political and security situation in Syria.

They underscored the necessity of supporting the will of the Syrian people and preserving the capabilities, unity, and territorial integrity of the Syrian state.

The ministers also stressed that the political transition process in Syria should come with Syrian ownership, free from external dictates.

The Lebanese parliament is set to hold a session on 9 January to elect a new president, official media reported late in November a day after Israel and Lebanon reached a ceasefire agreement to end more than a year of fire exchange between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah.

Nearly 4,000 people have been killed by the Israeli military operations in Lebanon, many of whom were civilians, while one million others were displaced from their homes, according to Lebanese authorities.

Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022 after the conclusion of Michel Aoun’s term.

Based on Lebanon’s National Pact, the Lebanese president and army commander have to be Maronite Christians, while a Sunni Muslim takes the post of the prime minister and a Shia Muslim serves as the parliament speaker.