Lebanese delegation, led by Mikati, heads to Munich Security Conference

"Al-Joumhouria" learned that caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati is preparing to head to Munich the day after tomorrow, Wednesday, at the head of a delegation including Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and several advisors to participate in the proceedings of the "Munich Security Conference" in its sixty-first edition since its inception in 1963.

This article is originally published in, translated from Lebanese newspaper Al-Joumhouria.

This year's conference is dedicated to discussing international crises in light of the events in occupied Palestine and southern Lebanon and their implications extending to the Red Sea, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. 

In addition to major international issues, including the war developments in Ukraine, it was dedicated last year to this crisis and its various ramifications. 

This is because the preceding conference was preoccupied with Russian military arrangements that were ongoing in the vicinity of Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea to Russia just before the declaration of war on it a few days after the conference.

The conference will also address other international security and peace issues, including climate issues, relations between the West and the East, and potential confrontations in the South China Sea. 

This is in addition to the obstacles facing global energy supplies in light of the sanctions imposed on some countries, especially those that have affected Russia and Iran's oil, gas, and petroleum exports, as well as the disruption caused by events in the Red Sea to international trade.

Therefore, the absence of the Prime Minister until the end of the week cancels the possibility of holding a Cabinet session, and its scheduling will remain subject to the arrangements made to meet the demands of public sector employees, both civilian and military, in ministries, public institutions, and retirees.

In light of the government's postponement of decisions regarding these increases, the Grand Serail and the Ministry of Finance are scheduled to host a series of meetings this week with representatives from the army leadership, internal security forces, and retirees, with the participation of interested ministers. 

This was announced by the Prime Minister at the beginning of last Saturday's Cabinet session, with a promise of reaching solutions that would be fair to all public sector workers, both military and civilian and retirees.

As it has become known, several proposals are being discussed, which have prompted several administrative bodies and military retirees to suspend their protest movements.