Prince Faisal in first Saudi FM Lebanon visit in over a decade

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister arrived in Lebanon on Thursday in the first trip to Beirut by Riyadh’s top diplomat in more than a decade.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud landed at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut to meet Lebanon’s newly elected president, Joseph Aoun. and its Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam.  

Prince Faisal was received by the Lebanese caretaker government’s minister of foreign affairs Dr. Abdullah Bou Habib, and the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, according to local reports.

His visit marks the first diplomatic engagement between the two countries in 15 years. Reeling from years of economic collapse and a devastating war with Israel, Lebanese leaders have pinned hopes on wealthy Gulf states for desperately needed reconstruction funds.

Prior to his visit, Prince Faisal said Aoun’s election was “extremely positive”, but said Riyadh was waiting to see real change before engaging further with Beirut.

Lebanese government formation drags on

On the ground, Lebanese political leaders are engaged in fraught negotiations over the formation of a new cabinet.

Salam had initially promised to announce a new government by 26 January, the date coinciding with the deadline for a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israel. Yet, the process remains stalled, with political wrangling over sectarian allocations of key ministerial positions.

Aoun urged lawmakers to overcome the sectarian deadlock, calling for the formation of a government to restore public trust and signal a positive message to the international community. “We wish to form a new government that meets the aspirations of the people as quickly as possible,” he said.

Salam, who has been cautious in his public comments, proposed a 24-member cabinet without naming specific ministers.

Instead, his cabinet draft outlined the distribution of key portfolios along sectarian lines, maintaining the delicate balance that has defined Lebanon’s post-civil war governance structure but has been widely criticised as continuing communal tensions and validating corruption.

The distribution includes important positions such as finance, justice, and interior, which have historically been contentious.

A key point of tension is the desire by the Change Bloc, a group of reformist MPs, to secure ministerial positions in the new government, however, they have publicly rejected any notion of quotas.

MP Paula Yacoubian said: “We only take the share we want when we rebuild a country that we aspire for, and when competent and ethical ministers are appointed.”

There is apprehension that Christian blocs, such as the Free Patriotic movement (FPM), may not reflect their popular support accurately as they did during elections. The Lebanese Forces party has blamed the delay on the “resistance team” and accused them of attempting to impose names for specific portfolios.