Merkel Hails Suleiman's Role in Preserving Stability, Backs Refugee Conference
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
German Chancellor Angela Merkel telephoned President Michel Suleiman, lauding his role in preserving stability in Lebanon and hoping that a new cabinet would be formed soon, Baabda palace said Friday.
A presidential statement said that Merkel also expressed support to Lebanon's call for a U.N.-led international conference to discuss the issue of Syrian refugees.
Their talks focused on bilateral relations, it said.
Lebanon's envoy to the U.N. Nawwaf Salam warned on Thursday that the number of Syrians in Lebanon could reach 1.2 million by the end of 2013.
"The Syrian people deserve that the U.N. Security Council deals with their suffering in a manner different from this shameful paralysis,” he said at a U.N. Security Council session that discussed the situation of Syria's children in the midst of the country's conflict.
"We have the right to ask for dividing the burden as Lebanon is the smallest country and has the least of potentials but hosts the largest number of refugees,” he added.
The Security Council has been stalemated for months on Syria. Western and Arab nations blame the conflict on President Bashar Assad's government. Russia insists on assigning equal blame to the Syrian rebel opposition, and has cast vetoes, along with China, to block draft council resolutions.
19 April 2013, 20:04
01
Why didn't Naharnet trust AFP for this story?
Merkel is obviously not thinking, or perhaps thinking too much and not seeing what is right in front of her, in not denouncing institutionalized racism in Lebanon (the Taef "Accord's" allocation of Parliamentary disproportionately and by sect), just as she fails to denounce it in Israel.
19 April 2013, 21:42
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"The Security Council has been stalemated for months on Syria. Western and Arab nations blame the conflict on President Bashar Assad. Russia insists ..." OK OK, Arab soap opera got it, but what does this have to do with addressing the immediate needs of the refugees in Lebanon and the interest of Lebanon itself? Where have you been so far? Oh I get it. This is commemoration/celebration for the Palestinians refugees. I guess when you have Iran interfering with your politics, creating an army with it own District inside your Country, you really can't have a strong/cut throat President/Prime minister as they would be representing the product of the ensued chaos.
20 April 2013, 03:16
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I would think that a party like Hezeb Allah which really should not have any influence on Lebanese politics outside Persian puppeteers, together with Iran have a lot to say and do about the refugees. It is for Assad's best interest to amass and keep the Syrian refugees in Lebanon to pressure Lebanon. As Assad said "Helping the rebels would have devastating effects on the region". Case on point where Syrian hegemony prevents our President from dealing with this issue from the beginning. This is what I think.
