The presidential dossier was part of my discussions with Qatari officials, and Doha will not delay contributing to the rescue of Lebanon when it finds that the atmosphere is ready.

On the nature of his visit to Doha, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Elias Bou Saab, noted that “the visit is a response to the Shura Council’s invitation to attend the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. A series of official meetings were held with Qatari officials on the prominent Lebanese-Qatari fraternal relations , the most prominent of which was a meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani.

He pointed out, in an interview with the Qatari newspaper “Al-Sharq”, that “these meetings are based on Qatar’s prominent role towards Lebanon since long ago. In all situations and crises, Qatar has been proactive in standing by Lebanon… This is not new. The former the Emir of Qatar, Hamad Al Second, distinguished brotherly relations with Lebanon, then developed and strengthened with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who at all times confirms his zeal, support and support for Lebanon, its stability and prosperity. It is our duty to appreciate this support.

Regarding the World Cup in Qatar, Bosab praised “the great historical achievement achieved by the State of Qatar by hosting the 22nd edition of the World Cup. Qatar managed to present the best tournament of the World Cup with which it canceled all bets on the failure of the host and refuted all the distortion campaigns of this with a high level of service, good hospitality and dealing with hundreds of thousands of fans who come from all over the world. Qatar has fulfilled its promise and organized a historic version of the World Cup that is difficult to repeat.”

He emphasized that “this achievement achieved by Qatar is an achievement for all Arab countries and pride for all Arabs and for all peoples in the region. Pride is not only in the success of the household, but in presenting a role model in the ability to overcome difficulties and challenges, whatever they may be , and achieving an impressive achievement.I expressed this during my meetings with government officials.

About his impression of sports facilities and urban renaissance in Doha, Busab said: “I last visited Qatar four years ago, and what I saw today is indescribable and incomparable. The difference is great and huge between yesterday and today, because if I am in a new and modern country, and this can only be achieved thanks to wise leadership and a rational administration that has put the interests of its country and its people as an absolute priority. I was also amazed by the high level of organization, starting from the airport and ending with stadiums and hotels, passing through the streets, good hospitality and dealing with this diversity and diversity in the nationalities and cultures of the World Cup fans, and this issue requires high logistical capabilities, as well as the organizational aspect. And security, for which Qatar deserves gratitude, respect and pride.

Regarding his expectation that there will be a Qatari initiative to resolve the presidential crisis in Lebanon, he said, “I believe that when Doha has a ready atmosphere, it will not delay in playing any role that contributes to saving Lebanon and getting it out of its intractable crisis. This the issue was part of the discussions I had with the Qatari officials, especially since Qatar has successful experiences in the Lebanese file, most notably in 2008 through the Doha Agreement, as well as numerous positions, initiatives and white hands in support of the Lebanese, the latest of which was the aid that provided after the explosion in the port, with continued support to the Lebanese army. Lending a helping hand and help whenever needed, which we discussed, in the conversation with HE the Minister, the issue of the presidential crisis in Lebanon and I felt that the intention always there to ensure everything that is in the interest of Lebanon.

Regarding the existence of a link to a series of visits by Lebanese officials to Doha, including a visit by MP Gebran Bassil and army chief General Joseph Aoun, to the presidential file, Bou Saab indicated: “I don’t see a connection between that visit and I don’t think the army chief’s visit is linked to with the visit of Minister Gebran Bassil.”

And he emphasized, answering the question about his choice between the leader of the Marad Movement, Suleiman Franjieh, and the commander of the army, in case the presidential competition is limited between them, “I am against the idea of ​​the commander of the army becoming the president of the republic. We need to make a constitutional amendment that stipulates that the army commander and governor of Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh, is not allowed to run for president of the republic until 6 years have passed since the end of their mandate, because the prevailing idea in Lebanon is that the army commander must become president republic, and the same goes for the governor of the Banque du Liban, which makes their work governed by this presidential ambition, just as we do not need the militarization of the regime in Lebanon.

Bou Saab pointed out: “We need a president who has an economic vision, is open to the international community and has clear positions, and if the positions of the presidential candidate are not clear, we will enter a cycle of postponing the crisis without solving it, and therefore I am with the president who is a politician who is under scrutiny and has great knowledge.” With political and economic records and skills in dealing with the international community, we hope to move into the phase of establishing a better future.”

Regarding the dialogue paths to resolve the presidential crisis, he pointed out that “the best path for a solution is the one that takes place under the dome of the parliament led by the speaker of the parliament Nabih Berri, because the parliamentary blocs deal with the election of the president for Berri has previously called for dialogue and has a long history in managing dialogue and has experience that made him wait until things mature and I assure all parliamentary blocs that there is no alternative to dialogue and I hope that this call will be crowned with success.

Commenting on the developments between the Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah, Bou Saab said: “Politics in Lebanon is unstable and changing. Nothing is fixed in alliances. Everything can change and transform, but for now what we are witnessing are only tensions between the two parties which are related to the presidential elections.” Republic, and as soon as we agree to elect a president, things will return to normal.”

In addition, he made it clear that “there is a problem with the Lebanese constitution and I am working to amend it, although some are afraid of amending any provision of the Taef constitution, and there are those who interpret the request for an amendment as a position against a certain party, and that is a mistake. Constitutional amendment in Lebanon has become more urgent to close loopholes.” What has disrupted political life, for example, when there is a period of time that obliges the President of the Republic to invite the representatives to propose a candidate, so that period is extended to two years, and that is wrong. The same is the case with the mandate holder who is not bound by the deadline for forming the government. , and it is a big loophole in the law that leads to the disruption of political life in Lebanon. The biggest victim is the Lebanese state and people.

Bou Saab pointed out: “Therefore, the articles in which there are loopholes must be amended to serve Lebanon and the future of its people, and this mechanism has been adopted in the countries of the world, so why is Lebanon politicizing the issue?! I Remember that some time ago was in France and they told me that they are making amendments to the constitution to serve the people and the public interest, and therefore the Body empowered to make these amendments is the House of Representatives, so we must have the audacity to say correcting the loopholes out of our concern for the continuity of the Taif Constitution .

He revealed: “From my point of view, I see that Lebanon does not need a founding conference and a new constitution, as the conditions are not suitable for such a step, and holding on to Taif is a mistake because the constitution is not sacred, and therefore I call for the correction of the loopholes in the constitution from Taifa and its full implementation, especially since many articles did not implement the civil state, decentralization and single-constituency elections in Lebanon.

Bou Saab stated, regarding the stage reached by the Capital Control Law and the reform laws, that “the reform laws are those that are required from Lebanon as part of the plan for economic recovery and exit from the crisis. There are 4 laws that must be approved by the parliament , we have approved bank secrecy from them and we are currently studying capital controls, and there is also bank restructuring and financial system reform. These laws must be approved by Lebanon, along with the establishment of a sovereign fund for oil and gas resources so that we can work with the International Monetary Fund and the international community in in accordance with international standards so that there is confidence that there are no loopholes for financial corruption, and this issue, if achieved, opens opportunities for attracting capital. Arab and foreign funds and investments, primarily Qatar’s investments.

And he emphasized, answering the question whether these reforms will be at the expense of citizens’ deposits in Lebanese banks, that “we are looking for a way to prevent the collapse of banks in order to preserve people’s deposits, because the collapse of banks leads to the loss of deposits and therefore we are working to preserve banks in accordance with the plan reforms.” For the banking sector and for the Banque du Liban, especially because the financial collapse showed the mismanagement of the financial sector by the central bank, and we are paying the price for the mismanagement of the central bank.

Regarding Qatar’s investment in Lebanese gas exploration, Bousab revealed: “It is known that Qatar has made bids to invest in gas exploration in partnership with the French company Total, and Qatar’s entry has helped and contributed to the demarcation of maritime boundaries, and this issue is very complex, and several factors contributed to the achievement of the agreement formula, primarily the entry of Qatar and its presence in the team of companies investing in gas exploration, which was positive and greatly contributed to the achievement of demarcation.

And he emphasized in relation to the date of crystallization of Qatar’s participation in the research process, “I believe that within a few months, since Qatar submitted an official request for participation and approval was issued by the Lebanese government, and a share in the Russian company Novotec, which refused to participate with the Italian company Eni, was transferred, and Lebanon agreed for Qatar to replace the Russian company, and an agreement was reached with Total for Qatar to become the third partner in the exploration process, given that Lebanese law requires the existence of a consortium in order for there to be a partnership between the three companies in the exploration work, and the official signing of Qatar’s share in conducting the research will soon take place.

Bou Saab pointed out: “I believe that this issue will have very positive repercussions on Qatari investments in Lebanon and on strengthening cooperation in various fields and Qatar’s support to the Lebanese economy. I believe that whenever things turn towards stability in Lebanon, Qatar takes the initiative to expand its investment. We are currently working on the roadmap.” It started with determining the borders at sea, then the presidential elections must follow, and then the adoption of the reform laws that are being worked on in the Parliament. So we can reach a stage of recovery, in which Qatar will play a major role in achieving it.”

And he announced regarding the delimitation file with Syria, “We have established this file and it was impossible to open the delimitation file with Syria before finalizing the file for the delimitation of the southern sea borders. And the two blocks cannot be directly investigated before the delimitation file with Syria is completed, but it has not been achieved, and we consider Syria a sister country and we are dealing with it from that point of view, and the expected president of the Republic must finish communication with Syria in order to complete that file, because Syria is Lebanon’s gateway to the Arab countries.”