Lebanon and Iraq will sign military and intelligence treaties in the coming days, according to caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Zeina Akar.
Akar visited Baghdad on Tuesday, where she met with her Iraqi counterpart, Juma Inad Saadoun. The two discussed a variety of topics, including inking military and intelligence cooperation treaties.
Akar later announced that the treaties’ drafts were under review, receiving the final touches, and that they would be ready within a few days, upon which the two nations will agree on the location wherein to sign them.
In addition to the treaties, Akar and Saadoun discussed bilateral relations between Lebanon and Iraq and touched on the aid that Iraq sent in the aftermath of the Beirut Port explosion.
On his part, Minister Saadoun vowed that his country will continue to support Lebanon in all fields and sectors, especially in the fields of the military and oil.
On a side note, last week, an oil pipeline in North Lebanon, extending from Iraq, mysteriously caught fire and exploded.
The Iraqi minister hoped that a new Lebanese government would be formed soon and that the treaties between the two nations would be finalized.
Lebanon’s main parties have yet to agree on a government line-up, four weeks after Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri‘s appointment to lead the next Cabinet, despite the ongoing crisis and the international pressure.
The country has been lacking a government ever since caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced his resignation following the deadly August 4th explosion.
