3 EU ministers in Beirut to affirm support

The foreign ministers of three European Union states arrived in Beirut Thursday evening ahead of a daylong series of meetings with officials on EU support for Lebanon’s stability. The ministers are scheduled to hold separate meetings with President Michel Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Deputy Prime Minister Samir Moukbel and former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. They are not expected to meet with premier Najib Mikati, who is attending the Rio Environment Summit in Brazil. Sweden’s Carl Bildt, Poland’s Radoslaw Sikorski and Bulgaria’s Nickolay Mladenov arrived at Rafik Hariri International Airport on a flight from Sweden, and their regional trip will also take them to Baghdad and Irbil in Iraq. Sweden’s ambassador to Lebanon, Niklas Kebbon, said the visit was aimed at “holding talks with Lebanese officials and affirming the EU’s support for Lebanon amid the prevailing conditions in the region and supporting its unity and stability.”