EU supports Lebanese government reforms

The European Union voiced its support Thursday, for Lebanon’s democracy, on the back of Prime Minister Naguib Mikati's visit to the Belgian capital Brussels. The second day of Mikati's visit witnessed talks between him and the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, who declared that the EU supported Lebanon’s stability as well as political and economic reforms. In an apparent political boost for Mikati's cabinet, Barroso announced an additional 30 million euro allocation for Lebanon with the aim of bolstering its democracy. The amount comes on top of this year’s allocation of 62 million Euros to Lebanon. Barroso said he appreciated Mikati’s efforts to maintain peace and stability in Lebanon, despite the wave of popular upheavals in some Arab countries. He said Lebanon has for long been a partner of the EU and an active member in the EU’s neighbourhood policy. “The EU supports peace and stability in the region. It also supports all those who are committed to the democratic and peaceful way,” he told a joint news conference with Mikati in Brussels. “Our meeting today was constructive and fruitful. It was an opportunity to convey to Prime Minister Mikati a message of strong support and encouragement to press ahead with the necessary political, economic and social reforms,” Barroso said. He added that the European states are convinced the only way to guarantee long-term stability is through reforms. “In the past few months, Lebanon has taken important steps toward supportingprogress in the implementation of the European political agenda. However, we at the same time believe that more can be done,” Barroso said. “With the aim of strengthening democracy in Lebanon, I am happy to announce an additional 30 million euro allocation from the SPRING (Support for Partnership, Reform and Inclusive Growth) instrument ... This [amount] comes on top of an allocation to Lebanon of 62 million euros,” Barroso said. “The message we want to send to Lebanon is very clear. We stand on Lebanon’s side,” he added. For his part, Mikati said his government was determined to carry out political, economic and social reforms. He added he was undeterred by the turbulence in some Arab countries as a result of pro-democracy popular uprisings. He also defended his government’s policy to insulate Lebanon from the repercussions of the turmoil in Syria, saying most foreign states have praised this policy. Mikati told Barroso that maintaining stability in Lebanon would not prevent his government from carrying out all necessary reforms, no matter how painful they are. “Lebanon has always constituted an example of tolerance and democracy for regional states. Amid the changes in the Arab world, we must maintain and boost these values,” Mikati said. “Therefore, we are serious about implementing political, economic and social reforms that will ensure long-term stability,” he added. Referring to the 13 months of popular uprising against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Mikati said: “Lebanon’s position is totally clear. We have taken a decision to dissociate ourselves from what is happening in Syria because of our special relationship with Syria, including historic, economic and social ties. Also, 80 percent of our border is with Syria and our relationship with it goes far back.” “Our decision to dissociate ourselves from what is happening is intended to avoid having more differences in our society, which is already divided,” he said. “Today, all states appreciate what we are doing. What is important is to try to maintain stability in Lebanon”, he added. Later, Mikati, who is being accompanied by foreign minister, Adnan Mansour, and economic minister, Nicolas Nahas, held talks with EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Stefan Fule, on projects financed by the EU in Lebanon.