BERT - Marwa Shaheen - Beth:

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait, who visited the Lebanese Republic last week, carried an initiative that can be described as an integrated initiative to get Lebanon out of the political crisis it is experiencing at the level of its foreign relations with Western countries and its Arab surroundings, and the economic crisis that Lebanon has been experiencing since 2019, and what followed A social crisis that was reinforced by the political and economic crises that plunged the country into a state of continuous dramatic collapse, which transformed Lebanon from a stable and prosperous country into a backward country, unable to provide for the most basic needs of its citizens.

The essence of the initiative and its main provisions:

The Kuwaiti initiative focuses on the sovereign aspect, as the first item raised by the initiative is for Lebanon to restore its full sovereignty over all of its lands from north to south, as it is known about Lebanon that some foreign-backed arms, most notably Hezbollah, the Iranian arm in Lebanon control some areas in a way. Kamel, such as the southern suburb of the capital Beirut and the governorate of South Lebanon, in addition to some high-importance facilities such as the port of Beirut and the port of Tire, in addition to Beirut International Airport, which is under the influence of Hezbollah.

The initiative calls for stopping Hezbollah's interference in Gulf affairs in particular and Arab affairs in general, and pledging to pursue any Lebanese party that engages in hostile acts against the GCC countries.

According to information obtained by a broadcasting agency in Lebanon, the Kuwaiti initiative enjoys full Gulf-Egyptian-Jordanian-French-American cover, and is based on a set of items, most notably respect for the Taif Agreement, including specifically the extension of state sovereignty over its entire territory, disbanding militias and withdrawing their weapons ( The second item of the National Accord Document), the application of the relevant international resolutions i.e. Security Council resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701, the obligation to disassociate themselves, and not to use Lebanon or turn it as a platform and arena for interfering in the affairs of the Arab and Gulf countries and for verbal attacks on them, strict control of the outlets and the prevention of drug smuggling, And security and information cooperation, as well as the state's civil commitment.

Lebanese reactions to the Kuwaiti initiative:

And in the context of the interaction of the Lebanese political forces with the initiative put forward by the State of Kuwait, the Progressive Socialist Party MP Hadi Abul-Hassan said: “The Kuwaiti initiative did not come out of nowhere, but rather came with a sincere desire to preserve the financial, economic, political, social and security stability of Lebanon and converge with The orientations of all Lebanese sovereigns who are eager to restore the independent Lebanese national decision.

Abul-Hassan added, “The Kuwaiti initiative is based on rebuilding confidence between Lebanon and its Arab surroundings and trying to save Lebanon from this great setback that it is sinking into. It is a real opportunity that should not be aborted, and that the items mentioned in it are beneficial to Lebanon, which will return it to its Arab incubator and re-establish Lebanese-Arab relations in a way that will reflect positively on Lebanon and the Lebanese. Negative repercussions at all levels. Depending on the importance of the headings it contained, which first emphasizes the Taif Agreement, reforms, controlling crossings, preventing smuggling, implementing international resolutions, and the centrality of command in the Lebanese state.

As for the position of the Lebanese Forces Party, the head of the party, Deputy Samir Geagea, stated that “every day there is a new violation of the constitution and laws, and instead of submitting the Kuwaiti paper to the Council of Ministers for discussion, the three presidents reduced the issue to their own persons and assigned the Minister of Foreign Affairs to give Lebanon’s official answer.”

Geagea added that "there is nothing in the constitution called the three presidents, there is the Presidency of the Republic, the House of Representatives and the Council of Ministers," noting that "responding to the Gulf message is exclusively the prerogative of the Council of Ministers."

Coming to Hezbollah’s position, a Hezbollah parliamentarian in the Lebanese Parliament said that “the Kuwaiti initiative carries with it conditions and threats as if it dictates what Lebanon should do, otherwise there will be repercussions in the event of non-implementation, and Hezbollah’s position is clear. of foreign interference in Lebanon, and that the element of pressure exerted on it by some Gulf countries, led by Saudi Arabia, on the side of the Americans, which comes primarily in the context of the battle against the party, especially close to the parliamentary elections on which some countries abroad depend to strike the party, change the political equation and establish Its policy it wants in Lebanon and the region.”

Demands that have already begun to be implemented, and before the Kuwaiti initiative was presented:

The Lebanese state, before putting forward the Kuwaiti initiative, began with some measures and steps aimed at restoring some of the state’s influence on the sea and air facilities and ports. Last week, the Internal Security Forces arrested three shipments of narcotic substances that were scheduled to be transported to several countries, including The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Senegal, as well as some political statements denouncing the verbal or physical aggression against the Arab countries, and the voices of the political forces opposing Hezbollah escalated the need to get rid of Iranian hegemony over the Lebanese state.

The official Lebanese response to the Kuwaiti initiative:

In the context of responding to the Kuwaiti initiative, the Lebanese Foreign Minister, Abdullah Bu Habib, handed his Kuwaiti counterpart Ahmed Nasser Al-Sabah the Lebanese answers to the Kuwaiti paper, as well as a letter from President Michel Aoun to the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. It is assumed that the Lebanese answers will be presented for discussion at the consultative meeting of the Arab foreign ministers, and while Bou Habib described the atmosphere of his meeting with the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister as “excellent,” media data circulated this evening about the positive atmosphere that prevailed in Bou Habib’s meeting with his Kuwaiti counterpart, and that the Kuwaiti side understood the Lebanese answers. And that he expressed a positive attitude towards the proposal included in the Lebanese answers regarding the formation of a joint communication and coordination committee between Lebanon and the Gulf states to handle any issue related to the Lebanese-Gulf relations.

The Lebanese response, between reality and wish:

While the Lebanese side, both political and popular, knows the need to move forward with the Kuwaiti initiative and invest it in the interest of Lebanon and its people, and in the interest of Lebanon's renaissance and the improvement of its relations with its Arab brothers, many obstacles stand in the way of the Lebanese will to implement the Gulf initiative. The demands of the Gulf initiative to disarm the militias and re-impose the sovereignty and prestige of the state on all Lebanese lands and all its facilities are not only the demands of the Gulf states, but also the demands of Lebanon and the Lebanese, and according to experts, if Lebanon could implement these provisions, it would not have waited for the Arab countries to request their implementation. However, it is possible that Lebanon’s implementation of these demands will be easier when it is supported by the Arab countries, because Lebanon alone cannot confront the Iranian-Syrian axis. The destabilization of its stability and the security of its people, especially that Hezbollah, the Iranian arm in Lebanon, has an armed force of more than seventy thousand fighters, and Hezbollah previously used them on Lebanese soil in 2008, against the Lebanese state. When he invaded the capital Beirut to prevent the implementation of the decisions taken by Prime Minister Siniora’s government to limit the freedom of movement of Hezbollah and its elements, Lebanon needs the support and guarantees of its international friends and its Arab brothers to maintain its security and internal stability against any attempt to terrorize the state and the people, in order to The Lebanese state will be able to move forward in the battle to restore Lebanon's prestige, sovereignty and independence.