Macron to Call Aoun Sunday on French Initiative: Al Mayadeen Reporter
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Following the French-Saudi initiative to address the crisis between Beirut and Riyadh, Al Mayadeen reporter confirms that the Saudi contact with the Lebanese government is a first since 2017.
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Macron and MBS had a phone call with Lebanese PM Mikati today.
No current information about a visit for the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain to Lebanon, confirmed Al Mayadeen's correspondent on Saturday.
This comes after a French-Saudi initiative was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron to address the diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
Our correspondent pointed out that the current Saudi contact with the Lebanese government is the first since 2017 and noted that Macron will call Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Sunday to discuss the French initiative.
He also clarified that the Lebanese government’s next meeting will not be related to the French-Saudi initiative.
مراسل #الميادين: #ماكرون سيتصل بـ #عون غداً لوضعه في أجواء المبادرة الفرنسية. #لبنان #فرنسا #السعودية pic.twitter.com/Fy9k0jjWWp
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) December 4, 2021
French President Emmanuel Macron announced Saturday from the Saudi city of Jeddah that he and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman had telephoned Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, as part of an initiative to resolve the crisis between Riyadh and Beirut.
After the meeting, a joint Saudi-French statement was issued, which stated that "it was agreed to work to ensure that the Lebanese government implements comprehensive reforms."
Al Mayadeen reporter quoted Lebanese government sources as saying that "the contact between bin Salman and Macron with Mikati was positive."
These efforts come in the aftermath of the resignation of the Information Minister, George Kordahi, who had made the move in order for Macron's initiative to work.
Last October, Riyadh summoned its ambassador to Lebanon for consultations and requested that the Lebanese ambassador leaves the Kingdom within 48 hours, following a published interviewing showing Kordahi, before he was appointed a minister, describing the war on Yemen as "futile."
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
