EU Supports Lebanon
May 23, 2007
In the latest international call for restraint from all sides in Lebanon, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, has appealed for a halt to the bloodshed.
"I am hoping very much for calm," Solana told a press conference after meeting Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora late Tuesday in Beirut. He said political dialogue was necessary to solve the crisis.
"This is the only solution," Solana said.
The Lebanese army had been locked in fierce fighting with extremists in the north since Sunday. But both sides agreed on a truce on Tuesday.
Solana defends Lebanese government's action
Solana said the fighting only involved some hundred extremists.
"I don't think that there would be any difficulties from a military point of view for the Lebanese armed forces to control the situation," Solana said.
He defended the military campaign and said the government was fighting a "terrorist group." Yet he called on the Lebanese army to respect the safety of civilians.
"We hope that the actions of the army will be in conformity with the values and high standards of protecting civilians," Solana said.
EU to help Lebanon tackle the crisis
The EU official's visit, part of a regional tour, was meant to show support for the western-backed Siniora and his government, which have been locked in a months-long dispute with the Syrian-backed opposition.
Earlier, Solana had said the European Union wanted to help Lebanon resolve the crisis and tackle its economic woes once the bloodshed is halted.
"We want to help calm the situation" and see if its possible to move in establishing a political dialogue, he told reporters in Israel, the first stop of his tour.
The visit comes as the UN Security Council works to impose the establishment of an international court to try suspects in the 2005 murder of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri. A draft resolution has been circulated at the request of the Western-backed government despite resistance from the opposition.
Solana continued to Cairo on Wednesday. After visiting Egypt, he will go to the Gaza Strip and then wind up his mission by returning to Israel.