SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 29 March 2024, Friday |

Were European sanctions an additional factor for Hariri’s expected apology?

Does the new deadline set by the European Union collectively before the entry into force of the sanctions constitute a reason for those responsible for the authorship to facilitate the task of formation? The answer may become clear within days after the president-designate returns from Egypt, to which he went today, as he is scheduled to meet the Egyptian president tomorrow, Wednesday, and bring the date of the visit to Egypt from Thursday to Wednesday, according to the information, to open an important project in Egypt on Thursday.

Hariri’s visit to Baabda has become confirmed after he called the President of the Republic today and apologized for not attending today because of his new commitment and asked to postpone the date to Wednesday, i.e. after his return from Egypt. According to familiar sources with Hariri’s position, he will present to the President of the Republic, if a group of 24 ministers visits him, and if President Michel Aoun rejects it, Hariri will go to apologize. As for the alternative, the likely name to take over a government preparing for elections is Prime Minister Najib Mikati, according to what visitors to the Center House confirm.

However, Mikati’s sources confirm that he refused the mission since it was presented to him, and he is still on his position, and will soon inform the Lebanese in a detailed statement of the reasons that led him to reject the assignment. President Aoun had anticipated Hariri’s visit and tweeted at his own expense, calling on critics of the President of the Republic and his powers to read the fourth paragraph of Article 53 well.

Did the European sanctions constitute an additional factor for Hariri’s expected apology, especially since the sanctions might affect him?

In any case, the comprehensive European political decision has been taken, and it remains before the start of implementing the sanctions to set the legal mechanism for their implementation, and the ministers and foreign ministers of the European Union must meet again to agree on this mechanism, and therefore the end of July will not be the date for the start of imposing sanctions.

But what is remarkable about the decision at the European Union meeting on Monday is that the 27 European countries agreed, and even Hungary, on which the head of the Free Patriotic Movement was relying to impose a veto on the sanctions, did not object. This information reveals that France and Germany were the most determined to impose sanctions and worked to secure consensus.

What is new about the sanctions is that they will affect politicians and officials of the first rank, and are not limited to advisors and the narrow circle of officials. The names that will be covered by the sanctions are from different sects, and each name was associated with the government’s disruption, preventing reforms from taking place, or preventing decisions leading to reforms, in addition to personalities who contributed to the financial collapse.

As a reminder, Arab countries were seeking to cancel some names from the sanctions list, including the UAE and Egypt, and it has not yet been confirmed whether the European Union deleted these names, while it was known that French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had contacted Saudi officials last week and told them about the Union’s decision.

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  • Sawt Beirut International