Swiss embassy postpones dinner after political uproar in Lebanon

The Swiss embassy in Lebanon on Monday announced the postponement of a dinner that was supposed to bring together Lebanon’s main political parties, after unconfirmed media reports about the event stirred political controversy in the country.

“Switzerland has been actively engaged in Lebanon for many years including in conflict prevention and peace promotion. Over the last couple of months, Switzerland, in collaboration with the Swiss based organization Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, was in contact with the full spectrum of political Lebanese as well as regional and international actors to prepare for consultative discussions, not for a dialogue conference,” the embassy said in a statement.

“It is Switzerland’s tradition to offer good offices when asked to do so. The planned discussions are the result of previous consultations with the full spectrum of political Lebanese as well as regional and international actors, and in full respect of the Taef agreement and the Lebanese constitution,” it added.

It also said that “the informal dinner that was supposed to take place this Tuesday at the Swiss residence aimed to further brainstorm with various Lebanese political actors,” adding that “the names circulated in the media do not reflect the actual invitees.”

“The dinner has been postponed to a later date,” the embassy added.

Al-Jadeed TV had reported Sunday that the dinner banquet would bring the Swiss ambassador together with representatives of Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, the Free Patriotic Movement, the Lebanese Forces, the Progressive Socialist Party and MPs from the Change forces.

“The meeting is aimed at preparing for a dialogue conference that will be held in Geneva,” the TV network added, noting that the conference would involve several “official sessions.”

MTV for its part identified the Lebanese representatives who would take part in the dinner as MP Ali Fayyad of Hezbollah, MP Melhem Riachi of the Lebanese Forces, MP Alain Aoun of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Wael Abu Faour of the Progressive Socialist Party, MP Ibrahim Mneimneh of the Change bloc and Speaker Nabih Berri’s adviser Ali Hamdan.

The LF later on Sunday announced that it asked Riachi not to attend the dinner “after it was depicted in the media, whether rightfully or wrongly, as a dialogue conference that is being prepared for.”

“The presidential election must take place within the constitutional timeframe, and it is unacceptable for any reason and under any slogan or excuse to deviate the discussion towards other topics,” the LF added.

It also said that “the experience has shown that Hezbollah does not intend to review its stances and discuss the benefit of its weapons.”

MP Waddah al-Sadeh of the Change bloc meanwhile stressed that the Taef Accord is his "political reference," emphasizing that he is "against any international or local conference in the presence of the de facto weapons" and noting that no one represents him at the embassy's reported meeting.

"The stances of some colleagues on the Taef Accord and blaming it for the financial collapse might threaten the unity of the bloc," al-Sadek warned.

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari for his part posted Sunday a tweet that apparently came in response to the media reports about the conference.

“The National Reconciliation Accord (Taef Accord) is a binding contract for laying the foundations of the pluralistic Lebanese entity, and the alternative to it will not be another accord but a dismantling of the bonds of coexistence and the demise of the unified country, which will be replaced by entities that do not resemble Lebanon the message,” Bukhari said in his tweet.

On Monday, Bukhari held meetings with President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri.

Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan for his part said the invitation to the Swiss meeting was "born dead."

"Such efforts that lack vision and objectives cannot succeed," he said.

Arab Tawhid Party leader Wiam Wahhab meanwhile said: "What the Swiss embassy is doing is inviting a number of parties to a folkloric dialogue in which the majority of participants are corrupt parties that contributed to destroying the country."

"It is doomed to fail," he added.