Representatives from the International Support Group for Lebanon met with Prime Minister Tammam Salam Tuesday, expressing strong solidarity with the country as it faces the threat of terror and struggles to cope with the burden of the Syrian refugee crisis.
Talks focused on assistance for the more than 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon as well as ways to reduce refugee numbers and organize their entry. Discussions also touched on the security and political situation in the country.
Members of the ISG, which includes the U.S., the U.K., France, China, Germany and Italy, and U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly attended the meeting at the Grand Serail in Downtown Beirut.
Plumbly said the ISG members reaffirmed their commitment to promote international assistance for Lebanon.
“We welcomed the successful meeting in Rome two weeks ago on support for the Lebanese Armed Forces. We will remain engaged on all of the issues and will actively look for opportunities in the coming period to highlight Lebanon's needs, particularly in respect of assistance and stabilization efforts in the face of the unprecedented burdens Lebanon is bearing as a result of the Syrian conflict and the presence of so many Syrian refugees in the country,” Plumbly told reporters at the end of the meeting.
He said the ISG members reiterated their support for Salam’s leadership and expressed strong solidarity with Lebanon in the light of the terrorist threats.
The ambassadors, according to Plumbly, also congratulated Salam “on the recent successes of the security forces,” a reference to the Lebanese Army, Internal Security Forces and General Security crackdown on terrorist networks.
He said the ambassador of donor states also “welcomed the understanding reached within the Cabinet to facilitate the government's work.”
“We shared the prime minister's deep concern at the ongoing failure of Parliament to elect a president and joined him in stressing the importance of Lebanon's leaders moving to ensure that the election takes place without further delay,” Plumbly said.
No comments:
Post a Comment