Ahead of the emergency summit of the League of Arab States in Riyadh on Saturday, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka met in Beirut with several Arab ambassadors to discuss the importance of shielding Lebanon from a spread of the conflict in Gaza. In her meetings with the ambassadors of the League of Arab states, Qatar, Jordan, Algeria, Kuwait, Morocco and Tunisia, the Special Coordinator underlined the importance of safeguarding Lebanon’s security and stability during this period. The Special Coordinator also met with ambassadors of several donor countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany and others to discuss how the international community can best support Lebanon during this period of crisis.

Meanwhile, the Special Coordinator held a round of meetings with Lebanese officials, parliamentarians, academics, intellectuals and other stakeholders to discuss how to reinforce Lebanon’s security and stability, the importance of implementing Resolution 1701 as well as the socio-economic impact of the skirmishes along the southern border on the country’s socio-economic situation and its people. 

In all her meetings, the Special Coordinator highlighted the importance of overcoming the political deadlock that has prevented the election of a President in Lebanon for over a year in order to regulate the work of the country’s state institutions.