BEIRUT, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly paid tribute Monday to Lebanon's army, for "all the efforts and sacrifices they have made to safeguard the country in the face of grave challenges this year."
In a statement issued following his meeting with Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Plumbly welcomed "the progress made in securing international support for the Lebanese army."
As for the Syrian refugee crisis, Plumbly thanked Salam for "his role in finalizing and launching with the UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan earlier this month."
The plan calls for 2.1 billion U.S. dollars to help the country cope with the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon, while outlining the priorities of the government and international community over the next two years.
It aims also to deliver humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees while also expanding plans to invest in services and institutions in the most affected areas.
"We discussed what steps need to be taken to help ensure an appropriate and sufficient international response to the plan," he added.
The UN official also welcomed the initiatives under way "with respect to dialogue between political parties in Lebanon, including the meeting held last week between al-Mustaqbal movement and Hezbollah under the auspices of the parliament speaker Nabih Berri."
He said "clearly dialogue is important for unity and stability in these difficult times. We hope that these steps will contribute to resolving outstanding issues and in the first place the vacancy in the presidency."
The two parties have met in a first session of dialogue, with aim firstly to defuse the sectarian tension between Sunnis and Shiites in the country.
Al-Mustaqbal represents the majority of Sunnites in Lebanon and back the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar al- Assad, while Hezbollah represents the majority of the Shiites and backs the Syrian regime.
|
