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Presidential visit to Lebanon
Alain Berset’s second stay in Lebanon, after the one in 2009 as President of the Council of States. Arrival on 26 August: a visit to Beit Beirut, a former building on the demarcation line turned into a place of memory.
On 27 August, a wreath-laying at the Martyrs’ Square monument, then talks in Baabda with President Michel Aoun, with the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, and with Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Topics: migration, humanitarian aid, economic exchanges, interreligious dialogue. An agreement abolishes the visa requirement for diplomatic passports. Alain Berset pays tribute to Lebanon for hosting 1.3 million displaced Syrians; for Switzerland, the conditions for a safe return to Syria are not met. He also meets Philippe Lazzarini, the UN coordinator, civil society, and Swiss business and cultural circles.
On 28 August, a visit to an informal settlement of Syrian refugees in Tall Mayaan, in the north of the country, and a round table with Lebanese experts. At the invitation of the Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, a meeting with the country’s main religious leaders in Dimane. He quotes Amin Maalouf: individuals are “rich in multiple identities”. The day ends at the Gibran Khalil Gibran Museum in Bsharri and in the Forest of the Cedars of God, in the Qadisha Valley.
Sunday 26 August 2018 — Beirut
- Historical walk to the Place de l’Étoile
- Visit to Beit Beirut
Monday 27 August 2018 — Beirut
- Signing of the agreement abolishing the visa requirement for diplomatic passports
- Breakfast with Swiss business circles
- Wreath-laying at the Martyrs’ Square monument
- Meeting with President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace, press conference, official lunch
- Meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri
- Meeting with Philippe Lazzarini (UN) and with civil society
- Meeting and official dinner with Prime Minister Saad Hariri
Tuesday 28 August 2018 — North Lebanon, Dimane and Bsharri
- Breakfast with the ICRC
- Visit to the informal Syrian refugee settlement in Tall Mayaan
- Round table with Lebanese experts
- Meeting with religious leaders at the invitation of Patriarch Bechara Rai, Dimane
- Visit to the Gibran Khalil Gibran Museum, Bsharri, and to the Cedars of God
Speeches on this site
- Déclaration à la presse à Beyrouth avec le président Michel Aoun (French-language page)
- Toast au déjeuner offert par le président libanais Michel Aoun (French-language page)
- Allocution lors de la visite au président du Parlement libanais, Nabih Berri (French-language page)
- Allocution lors de la visite au patriarche maronite (French-language page)
Sources