Britain Offers Lebanon Aid to Boost Army Performance, Confront Refugee Crisis
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher announced on Tuesday that his country will provide Lebanon with a financial assistance to fortify its army's capabilities and to help it confront the Syrian refugees crisis.
Fletcher said after a meeting with President Michel Suleiman at the Baabda Palace that his country will supply Lebanon with $20 million to beef up its army's abilities and with $75 million to support the state with the crisis of the Syrian refugees.
The ambassador hailed Suleiman's efforts to maintain stability in the country, stressing that Britain will carry out the necessary international contacts to neutralize Lebanon from the conflict in the region.
The two officials also discussed the bilateral ties between the two countries.
More than 600,000 Syrians have fled their country to Lebanon, according to the United Nations, escaping a conflict now in its third year that has killed more than 100,00 people.
The conflict that erupted in Syria in March 2011 has spilled over the border into Lebanon where supporters and opponents of the Damascus regime have clashed frequently.
Last week, Lebanon's ambassador to the U.N. Nawaf Salam vowed that Lebanon will keep its borders open to refugees from Syria but said the government may have to consider opening camps.
Salam, however, said that Beirut "needs concrete international help to cope with this growing problem".
A Security Council statement proposed by France called for "strong, coordinated international support for Lebanon to help it continue to withstand the multiple current challenges to its security and stability."
The Security Council statement said there should be international help for the Lebanese Armed Forces to help police the border and made a new appeal for all sides in Lebanon to stay out of the Syria conflict.
But the council said Lebanon needs "assistance on an unprecedented scale" to confront its refugee crisis.
A special fund set up by the United Nations has received only a fraction of the amount appealed for.
16 July 2013, 15:45
02
How very nice! very thoughtful and generous. still would be nice to hear something from ksa and qatar. Iran and russia who back the syrian government have already donated over $100m. what about the rebel backers?
Lebanon is a country of 4million people with over 1 million refugees! imagine Britain having to host 20million refugees or Saudi arabia having 6 million? Lebanon is their trash bin!
16 July 2013, 17:58
02
Tom Fletcher is a great ambassador.
Thank you the UK for helping.
As Ado said, KSA, Qatar and Russia should do way more in terms of helping refugees since they instigated the crisis.
16 July 2013, 19:11
00
It sucks to be the President of a country where the Resistance dictates its military fate, Rogue PMs dictate individual foreign policies, the Foreign Minister does not execute the President's order, and where Ambassadors have to give aid. Rogue militants and sold out Politicians ensured that we have no Liberty, Sovereignty or prosperity.
