Plumbly Meets Salam, Reiterates Need to Elect New President as Soon as Possible
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly reiterated on Thursday the international community's insistence that Lebanon elect a new president in order to fill the vacuum in the presidency.
He said after holding talks with Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail: “Needless to say, our main message is one you have heard repeatedly over the past two weeks from the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the Security Council, from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday and from the International Support Group the necessity of electing a new president as soon as possible.”
“The additional message is also clear, our support for Salam and his government, and the importance in accordance with the constitution of it being able to address the challenges that Lebanon faces and to work closely with its partners at this time,” he added.
“In the context of Lebanon’s partnership with the U.N., we discussed the implementation of resolution 1701 on which a new report is due this month, our work together in respect of the Syrian refugees and our joint efforts to encourage burden sharing and greater assistance for Lebanon,” he continued.
“In that last context, I take this opportunity again to welcome the activation of the Trust fund announced here earlier this week by the President of the World Bank Jim Yong Kim and the meeting on support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, which the government of Italy plans to hold soon,” stated Plumbly.
Lebanon is home to more than a million refugees, while around 600,000 have fled to Jordan, and Turkey hosts another 700,000.
Kim, on a regional visit, said on Monday in the Saudi city of Jeddah that the conflict in Syria has cost Lebanon $7.5 billion (5.5 billion euros).
He kicked off his regional trip by visiting the kingdom, Lebanon, and then Jordan.
M.T.
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