Trump’s Presence... A Guarantee!

The US administration, led by President Donald Trump, is pressing ahead with translating its pledges to place Lebanon on its strategic agenda, not only through the gateway of containing escalation, but also from the angle of reshaping balances in line with a new negotiating rhythm that paves the way for a broader settlement, one that will later include the signing of a peace agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

Accordingly, attention focused on the second round of talks in Washington, which was held at the White House rather than the US State Department and was surrounded by an atmosphere of “measured optimism.” According to information obtained by Nidaa Al Watan, it was to be followed by a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Baabda was informed yesterday at noon that Trump would be present at the meeting, a development that surprised the presidential palace and fostered reassurance regarding the outcome of the negotiations and the extent of US interest in the Lebanon file.

The second round concluded with the US president announcing that the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel would be extended for three weeks. He said: “I look forward to hosting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the near future. We will work with Lebanon to help it protect itself from Hezbollah, and the meeting between Lebanon and Israel was good.”

In the details of the second Lebanon-Israel meeting at ambassadorial level, and in a historic precedent carrying several implications, the doors of the White House were opened to the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States, signaling Trump’s interest in following the event closely and reflecting an international and regional repositioning around the Lebanese arena, led by Washington and accompanied from Beirut by a calculated, strong Saudi return.

In form, the venue for the Lebanon-Israel talks shifted from the State Department building to the White House, between Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Mouawad and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, in the presence of Secretary Marco Rubio and his assistant, with the participation of US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, adviser Michael Needham, and Washington’s ambassador to Beirut, Michel Issa, who stressed upon entering the White House that Trump’s participation confirms Washington’s seriousness in making the talks succeed. Asked how optimistic he was about the outcome of the meeting, Issa replied: “Optimism is a big word.”