Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and explored ways of coordinating positions regarding them. In a statement on Friday, the Arab League said that Aboul Gheit affirmed the league's support for the path led by the UN envoy Jan Kubis for positive outcomes from the Libyan political dialogue, stressing the importance of the commitment of all parties to hold the elections on their scheduled date, which is Dec. 24, and provide support to the Government of National Unity to carry out its tasks in this regard. The statement said that the talks also touched on the developments of the situation in Lebanon following the apology of Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri for forming the government, as there was consensus between the two sides on what this apology represents as "a warning sign for the situation in Lebanon". Aboul Gheit, who met the UN chief on the sidelines of his visit to New York, has expressed his hope that the international community would be able to help the Lebanese people cross this crisis, which is the most serious since the end of the civil war in 1990. The statement explained that the meeting also dealt with developments in dealing with the "Renaissance Dam" file, as Abul Gheit affirmed the firm position of the Arab League in supporting the demands of Egypt and Sudan to reach a binding legal agreement that would prevent the Ethiopian party from filling and operating the Renaissance Dam without the approval of both countries. Aboul Gheit commended the United Nations for providing technical support to the African Union to enable it to carry out the task entrusted to it in supervising the negotiations. — WAM
