Spokesman: EU Has No Intention to Interfere in Lebanon's Political Life

European Union foreign ministers are expected next week to announce support for President Michel Suleiman, the spokesman of the French foreign ministry said, denying however any intention to “interfere” in Lebanon’s political life.

Romain Nadal said that the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday will address several issues, including the threat of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon’s internal stability.

The EU member states “will reaffirm their solidarity and their attachment to the country’s stability,” he said.

Nadal expected the foreign ministers to announce support for Suleiman and Lebanese authorities, and the dissociation policy that is based on the Baabda Declaration.

The ministers will reiterate the EU commitment to Lebanese Armed Forces and providing assistance to Lebanon to confront the humanitarian crisis of the Syrian refugees, he said.

The Council will also discuss the constitutional paralysis in Lebanon, he added.

But Nadal stressed that the EU “does not have any intention to interfere in Lebanon's political life,” saying “the Lebanese should agree among themselves on the solutions that can provide a better future for them.”

His latest remark came after reports that French President Francois Hollande has told his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman that Paris would mediate to guarantee an extension of his six-year mandate.

But Suleiman reportedly told him that he rejected the extension and preferred the renewal of his term if the MPs failed to elect a new president before his mandate expires in May 2014.