European Parliament members visiting Lebanon on Tuesday lauded
“the efforts undertaken by the Lebanese authorities, their partners, the NGOs
and the local population to provide assistance” to Syrians fleeing the violence
in their country to Lebanon.
The parliamentary delegation comprises Veronique de Keyser, Member
of the European Parliament and Vice President for Foreign Affairs of the Group
of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S & D), and Ana
Gomes, Member of the European Parliament and the foreign affairs coordinator of
the S & D Group.
De Keyser and Gomes met with President Michel Suleiman, Prime
Minister Najib Miqati, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, members of the
Lebanese-European friendship group at the Lebanese Parliament, and also with
representatives of Lebanese civil society, said a statement issued by the
Delegation of the European Union in Lebanon.
“Meetings are foreseen with the leader of the Progressive
Socialist Party, Walid Jumblat, the head of the Hizbullah parliamentary bloc
Mohammed Raad, the head of the (al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc), former Prime
Minister Fouad Saniora, as well as with officials and parliamentarians from
different political parties,” said the statement.
“The parliamentary delegation sought to inform themselves about
the political situation in Lebanon, and to better understand the impact of the
crisis in Syria on the country,” the statement added.
They also visited several localities in the region of Wadi Khaled
to “better understand the situation on the ground in this border region,
including about the humanitarian assistance provided by the Lebanese
authorities to Syrian refugees and displaced, in partnership with international
organizations and Lebanese non-governmental organizations.”
On her return to Beirut, MEP De Keyser remarked: "Needs are
great and could rise further with the arrival of new refugees and displaced
persons. All possible means must be mobilized to help these people to the
greatest extent possible.”
She called on the European Union to “treat this issue as a
priority and to intensify its humanitarian efforts.”
“In this context, the parliamentary delegation wishes to encourage
the Lebanese authorities to further increase the humanitarian assistance
provided to the refugees and displaced as well as to the population living at
the Lebanese border areas, to further strengthen the role of public authorities
to this end -- e.g. by extending the mandate of the High Relief Committee to
other regions of the country -- and to facilitate the circulation of Syrian
refugees and displaced throughout Lebanon,” she added.
The parliamentary delegation also reiterated the commitment of the
European Union to Lebanon in the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy,
including the implementation of its agenda of political, economic and social
reform.
“In this regard, the parliamentary delegation believes that
further efforts need to be made, including with respect to human rights in
general and the rights of women in particular. This observation is made in the
context of recent discussions concerning domestic violence. The parliamentary
delegation supports the efforts of civil society in this field,” said the
statement of the Delegation of the European Union.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/35611
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