BRUSSELS: Prime Minister Tammam Salam informed senior EU officials Tuesday of Lebanon’s desperate need for international support while it grapples with the fallout of Syria’s crisis, with senior diplomatic sources describing the talks in Belgium’s capital as “extremely positive.”
In an evening meeting with European Parliament President Martin Schulz on the second and last day of his official visit to Belgium, Salam said the two discussed Lebanon-EU relations, particularly parliamentary cooperation.
Schulz updated Salam on the state of EU policy toward Lebanon and the Middle East, while Salam spoke of the most pressing issues in Lebanon, including the presidential void, efforts to maintain internal security and stability and the Syrian conflict.
“I explained to President Schulz that the inclusive government I preside is urging to maintain political and security stability in the country, [and is] facing many challenges, mainly the backdrop of the Syrian crisis and its spillover effect,” Salam said.
“I also explained to President Schulz the severe effects resulting from the massive influx of Syrians in Lebanon, which is the country most affected, both in relative and absolute terms,” he added.
Salam and Schulz also highlighted the importance of supporting the Lebanese security services to help them overcome the increasing threat of terrorism.
“I thanked President Schulz for the efforts deployed by the EU, both in terms of development and humanitarian funds, and I assured him that supporting Lebanon at this particular juncture goes beyond supporting a country facing tremendous challenges to supporting a model of coexistence, tolerance, diversity and openness, all much needed for the future of our region,” Salam said.
Schulz stressed the unity of Lebanon and expressed trust that Salam’s government would be able to solve the presidential deadlock very soon.
Earlier, Salam spoke to the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee President Elmar Brok and several committee members about Lebanon’s refugee burden, noting that such an “unmatched crisis calls for an unmatched response.”
The premier highlighted the country’s open-border policy had strained Lebanon’s host communities.
Given the critical situation, “qualitative measures are needed from the international community to help Lebanon mitigate the drastic effects which our government ... is unable to bear alone,” Salam said.
Salam pointed to the Lebanese government’s efforts to set clear criteria for refugee admission, and confirmed that such measures would be taken in accordance with “international law and practice.”
With regard to the security situation, Salam said an “immediate response” was required to prevent more violence from occurring.
This critical situation serves as “an occasion to call for support to our armed forces, as our Army is facing a daily threat from trained extremists with unconventional fighting methods,” Salam said.
While acknowledging the importance of military aid, Salam said that solving the political crises in the region was the only “sustainable approach” to long-lasting peace.
The Palestinian problem remained the “grassroots of frustration,” Salam said, highlighting that after years of negotiations, “peace remains an elusive goal, and Palestinians are still deprived of their basic, indisputable right for a sovereign state.”
Salam called on the EU to denounce Israeli “wrongdoings,” and to use its large array of diplomatic, political and economic tools in order to facilitate the achievement of a peace agreement based on international law.
Earlier in the day, Salam told reporters that EU officials were keen to preserve Lebanon’s stability amid the regional upheaval, and had expressed a genuine desire to help the small country overcome its ongoing political crises and deal with the influx of Syrian refugees.
“I felt EU officials have a genuine desire to help Lebanon,” Salam told reporters after a meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Juncker’s meeting with the Lebanese delegation is his first with a foreign delegation since his election this summer.
Salam said he underscored in his talks with the EU officials the need to push for peace in the Middle East as a means to curb the rampant fundamentalism sweeping through the Arab and Muslim world.
“As long as peace is not established, moderate forces in the Arab world will continue being weakened and marginalized,” Salam said he told the European officials.
He said he also discussed with EU figures the possibility of resettling some of Lebanon’s Syrian refugees in other countries and possible further assistance Europe could provide to alleviate the refugees’ burden on Lebanon.
Salam quoted Juncker as saying the “EU would continue to economically and financially support Lebanon.”
“The European side is well aware of the importance of supporting host communities,” Salam added.
Speaking to The Daily Star, senior diplomatic sources who attended Salam’s meetings with EU officials described the talks as “very warm” and “extremely positive.” They said Salam felt there was a lot of understanding for Lebanon’s circumstances by EU officials.
Speaking to Lebanese expatriates in Belgium earlier Tuesday, Salam reiterated that his government would not be blackmailed by the jihadi captors of 26 Lebanese servicemen, stressing that negotiations for their liberation should be conducted according to certain norms and rules.
He pointed out that he had contacted Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to urge him to revive Qatari mediations to secure the release of the servicemen.
Deploring the situation in Lebanon, Salam said the country “is being undermined” by rivalries and internal political struggles of antagonist leaders.
“The biggest illustration of our political crisis is the vacancy in the presidential post,” he said, emphasizing that things could not improve in the absence of a head of state, “regardless of the government’s efforts to counterweight the void.”
On a more positive note, Salam applauded Lebanon’s success in defeating attempts to manipulate tensions related to the Syrian conflict in order to stir internal strife.
“Lebanon’s security was exposed to big tremors, but with the help of our Army and security forces we were able to preserve our nation and defeat the argument that Lebanon is a fertile ground for terrorism,” Salam added.
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