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Several high-level Gulf Cooperation Council officials have visited Lebanon recently to show support for newly elected President Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam, his pick for prime minister. Last Thursday, Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Beirut, becoming the first Saudi foreign minister to do so in some 15 years.
At a joint press conference with Aoun, the Saudi minister expressed optimism about Lebanon’s future and his confidence that Lebanon would be able to carry out the necessary reforms, long delayed because the country did not have a president for more than two years. Hezbollah’s grip on Lebanese politics prevented the election of a new president and the adoption of economic and political reforms demanded by the international community. Prince Faisal suggested that “implementing reforms will enhance global confidence in the country.”
The choice of Salam, an independent professional who was until recently the president of the International Court of Justice, is an important signal that Lebanon wants a break from the past, when pro-Iran figures dominated the country’s politics.
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya and GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi were in Beirut last Friday. They delivered similar messages to Lebanon’s new leadership. Kuwait holds the current rotating presidency of the GCC and has been keenly interested in restoring Lebanon’s close relations with the Gulf countries.
After his election on Jan. 9, Aoun pledged to establish “strategic partnerships” with the Gulf states, adding that his first foreign visit would be to Saudi Arabia, expressing hope that bilateral relations between the two countries would strengthen “in all areas.” At last week’s press conference, Aoun thanked the Kingdom for its efforts to assist Lebanon, particularly in ending the presidential impasse.
Over the past two decades, Lebanon and the GCC countries became estranged as Hezbollah came to dominate Lebanon’s political, security and economic systems, including its foreign policy, which became aligned with Iran’s. It also dominated law enforcement and parts of the judiciary, frustrating investigations into its members and shielding them from accountability.
During Michel Aoun’s presidency (2016-2022), the Lebanese government acquiesced as Hezbollah became involved in the war in Syria and committing unspeakable atrocities there, as well as when Hezbollah supported, trained and armed terrorist groups, including the Houthis of Yemen and others opposed to GCC states. Attacks and kidnappings of GCC citizens in Lebanon became more frequent. The group also waged a drug war against the GCC states, while the government stood idly by.
Relations with GCC states suffered as a result, the Gulf’s investment and trade with Lebanon shrank and GCC tourists stopped going to Lebanon.
Yet, the GCC countries were concerned about the deepening political instability and the economic meltdown, which hurt ordinary citizens not connected to Hezbollah or its allies. In many cases, those who were hurt the most were opposed to its malign activities. GCC states joined like-minded countries in trying to end the country’s malaise and in 2022 launched an initiative to help Lebanon get out of the abyss, but there was only limited success because of the inability or unwillingness of the Hezbollah-dominated government to cooperate.
By contrast, the newly elected president and his chosen prime minister are determined to open a new page with the GCC countries, as with the rest of Lebanon’s traditional friends and partners. They are aware of the serious rupture the hostile policies of the past have caused with the outside world, especially the GCC.
The GCC is equally keen to restore its historically solid partnership with Lebanon, politically, economically and culturally. When the GCC embarked on free trade negotiations two decades ago, Lebanon was the first country with which it concluded a deal. The agreement was signed in Beirut in May 2004, witnessed by the late Rafik Hariri. The signing was followed by a flurry of activities to enhance trade relations, but those efforts were dealt a serious blow when Hariri was assassinated in February 2005.
The GCC wants to resume those efforts and engage fully with Lebanon, not only on trade but in all areas, as Joseph Aoun said last week.
First, political reform is needed. In particular, the Lebanese factions need to make a concerted effort to reconcile and rebuild their country together, through dialogue and mutual respect without the use of force or threats. Completing the implementation of the Taif Accord would be a good start.
Second, the Lebanese government, army and security forces should be able to exercise full and sole authority throughout Lebanon. All relevant UN Security Council resolutions should be fully implemented.
Third, Lebanon should avoid interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, including the GCC states, Yemen, Syria and Iraq. Equally important, outside meddling in Lebanon’s internal affairs should stop.
Fourth, there needs to be strengthened governance of Lebanon’s export facilities to prevent the export of drugs to GCC countries. Drug traffickers and arms smugglers must be vigorously pursued, with cooperation on extraditing those responsible for these crimes.
Fifth, Lebanon should not be a base or haven for terrorists who want to destabilize the region.
Sixth, international support for Lebanon’s defense and security forces is necessary to enable them to exercise their role throughout the country.
Seventh, the GCC is ready to engage with Lebanon in all fields, including the political, economic and security areas.
The choice of Salam is an important signal that Lebanon wants a break from the past, when pro-Iran figures dominated the country’s politics.
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg
Eighth, economic reforms are urgently needed to restore confidence in the Lebanese economy and its institutions, including the central bank. Cooperation with international institutions is a must to help put in place the mechanisms to fight the endemic corruption and mismanagement inherited from the previous administration.
Ninth, together with the required reforms, it would be useful for Lebanon to establish a mechanism to coordinate with donors, investors and international institutions to make the business climate more hospitable and explore ways to quickly improve living conditions for ordinary Lebanese. The GCC will be ready to shoulder its share of these efforts.
Tenth, to ensure consistent follow-up, it would be useful to set up a joint GCC-Lebanon framework to coordinate on these issues.
For this formula to succeed, the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah needs to be sustained and national consensus needs to be restored. That lawmakers were this month able to reach agreement in the parliament to choose the president was a good sign that a new era has dawned on Lebanon.
- Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the Gulf Cooperation Council assistant secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation. The views expressed here are personal and do not necessarily represent the GCC. X: @abuhamad1