ANSD : EU ambassadors urge Hariri to start reforms immediately

MON 25 - 11 - 2024

Date: Feb 8, 2019
Source: The Daily Star

EU ambassadors urge Hariri to start reforms immediately

BEIRUT: Ambassadors from the European Union and its member states Thursday met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri in the Grand Serail to congratulate him on the new government’s formation and express support for Lebanon in the challenges it will face, a statement from the premier's office said.

The European ambassadors emphasized the need for the enactment of reforms based on the Capital Investment Plan. “We urge the government of Lebanon to immediately implement the necessary economic and structural reforms to allow for the CIP’S implementation,” an official statement released by the ambassadors after the meeting said.

Last year, Lebanon presented the CIP at the CEDRE conference in Paris, during which international donors pledged $11 billion in soft grants and loans to boost Lebanon’s economy and infrastructure.

The EU was one of the major donors at CEDRE, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development alone pledging 1.1 billion euros ($1.25 billion) and France and the Netherlands pledging several hundred million euros.

The ambassadors’ statement also recognized Lebanon’s extraordinary role regarding Syrian refugees, noting that the EU member states have supported Lebanon with $2.5 billion since the beginning of the crisis.

The Brussels conference scheduled for next month presents an opportunity for Lebanon to secure more of this aid, they said.

At the same time, the European ambassadors and the Lebanese government apparently disagree over several points regarding the Syrian refugees.

“This return needs to be safe, voluntary and dignified; otherwise it risks being counterproductive and preventing further returns in the future,” the ambassadors said. Yet Information Minister Jamal Jarrah told reporters after the Cabinet approved its draft statement that the statement does not specify the word “voluntary” as a condition for returns.

Finally, the ambassadors’ statement, in an apparent knock at Hezbollah’s military wing, praised the Lebanese Army as “the only legitimate armed forces of Lebanon.” The EU distinguishes between the political and the military wings of Hezbollah, calling the latter a “terrorist organization.”

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