UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed meets Germany’s Scholz in Abu Dhabi

Beirut: Lebanon has become a failed state, Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Drian warned on Saturday.

“We are rapidly moving towards borderless, and due to political mismanagement at all levels, Arabs and the world will soon start to ignore the existence of Lebanon,” he said.

“We need to elect a new president, and it is the responsibility of MPs to elect him or create a presidential vacuum.”

Drian had invited Sunni lawmakers to a meeting in Darfatwa to discuss possible candidates.

All but three of the 27 Sunni MPs from various political factions attended the meeting, including a Hezbollah-affiliated MP, except reformists and independent MPs.

Two reformist MPs, Ibrahim Mneimneh and Halima Al-Qaaqour, and independent MP Osama Saad were not present.

A source in Dar Al-Fatwa said the meeting was aimed at uniting the Sunni bloc in parliament to give it a meaningful voice in the presidential election.

The group also aims to thwart any attempts to tamper with the Taif agreement and undermine its provisions on the Lebanese constitution, the sources said.

The meeting focused on efforts to preserve national unity, respect constitutional deadlines for electing a new president, and form a government capable of implementing financial, monetary and legislative reforms, including an economic recovery plan.

During the meeting, Drian stated that the survival of the nation and the nation depends on the effectiveness of its constitutional institutions.

The president is the protector of the constitution, he said, and Lebanon’s Christian president is a symbol of coexistence on which the Lebanese system depends.

Drian added that Arabs “recognize and appreciate the Lebanese experience” because the Lebanese president is the only Christian president in the Arab world.

He urged members of Congress to encourage respect for the president’s position and help him make a difference at home and abroad.

Drian also said that the new president must uphold the Taif accords, the constitution, the principles of coexistence and Lebanon’s national, Arab and international legitimacy.

He added that Lebanon will not be able to maintain order, stability and a state entity if these issues are ignored.

Drian stressed the need to end fabricated sects, divisive power conflicts, and return to the constitutional principle of separation of powers but maintaining power cooperation.

He called for the election of a president characterized by the personal and political qualities of a public businessman who would be morally responsible for the mission he had undertaken.

He said the new president must have wisdom, national responsibility and integrity, as well as the ability to include all Lebanese and use his power to help the country emerge from this crisis and prevent it from collapsing completely.

“Either we elect a president with these qualities, or we see the regime and the country fall before our eyes,” Drian reiterated.

He also called for respect for the prime minister and to help the prime minister-designate accomplish his mission.

“This is everyone’s shared responsibility. We look forward to forming a government as soon as possible, perhaps in the next few days,” Derain said, adding that in these harsh and difficult circumstances, Lebanon needs a government with full powers — — not the caretaker government.

Lebanon can only survive if there is a consensus, Drian said. He added that there can be no salvation without unity, separation from tension, sectarianism and incitement.

Lebanon needs a president who is “not part of the problem or the cause of the problem”.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the participants emphasized the principles advocated by Darfatwa, particularly in terms of commitment to the Taif agreement, Lebanon’s Arab identity and national unity.

They also condemned violations that have and are still undermining the foundations of national reconciliation and coexistence.

Sunni lawmakers stressed the need to end Lebanon’s misery amid mismanagement and rampant corruption.

“Saving Lebanon requires acknowledging the mistakes made, holding the perpetrators accountable, whoever they are, and working in good faith with the Lebanese and Arab parties and the international community to restore Lebanon’s identity and standing,” they said.

Sunni lawmakers said they would work with other lawmakers to elect a new president on a set constitutional date.

The new president “needs to abide by the constitution and be loyal to the Lebanese people and their interests,” they said.

The statement added that the enemy of Lebanon was and remains the Israeli army that continues to occupy parts of Lebanon.

It calls for the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions that mandate Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territory and the recognition of Jerusalem as an occupied city.