Alsharq Tribune - Ahmed Essam
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told BRICS leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that the world needed peace in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan. "Across the board, we need peace," Guterres said at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan, Reuters reported. "We need peace in Ukraine. A just peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and UN General Assembly resolutions." Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, said that the full implementation of UN resolution 1701 was still the goal of diplomatic efforts, stressing that a joint proposal made by France and the United States remains the basis for any potential ceasefire. The resolution calls for southern Lebanon to be free of any troops or weapons other than those of the Lebanese state. France's top diplomat also said Lebanon must end a two-year vacuum and elect a new president, calling the lack of an elected head of state 'inconceivable'. "To preserve its unity in the face of challenges, to be represented at the negotiating table in the future, Lebanon must have a head of state," Barrot told a news conference in Paris
