Int'l Support Group for Lebanon Regrets Delay in Govt. Formation, Urges Respect of Baabda Declaration

The International Support Group for Lebanon (ISG) on Monday regretted the lack of progress on government formation in the country and urged all Lebanese parties to abide by the Baabda Declaration.

“The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General today convened a meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon (ISG) to review progress since the inaugural meeting of the Group under the chairmanship of the Secretary-General on 25 September in the presence of H.E. Mr. Michel Suleiman, President of the Republic of Lebanon,” said a U.N. statement.

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly briefed the conferees on the developments and presentations were made by the Permanent Representative of Lebanon as well as by representatives of the World Bank, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations Development Program.

Participants underlined the continuing need for “strong, coordinated support for Lebanon in response to the unprecedented challenges posed by the crisis in Syria.”

They noted the “many ongoing pressures on Lebanon and again underlined the importance of burden sharing.”

The conferees regretted “the lack of progress on government formation and encouraged all Lebanese parties to engage positively in this regard given the urgency of the security, humanitarian and development challenges facing Lebanon.”

They stressed again the importance of “commitment by all Lebanese parties to the Baabda Declaration.”

Participants noted that the September 25 inaugural meeting had generated momentum, “which was recognized when members of the group met with President Michel Suleiman in Beirut on October 18.”

Since then, the Roadmap for Stabilization developed by the Government in conjunction with the United Nations and the World Bank to address the most critical economic and social impacts of the crisis in Syria on Lebanon has been approved, and agreement has been reached on a multi-donor trust fund for Lebanon as an additional mechanism for channeling donor support to meet these critical needs, “which should be operational in December,” said the statement.

Participants noted that the next U.N. Regional Response Plan for refugees from Syria, due to be completed in December, would also address the immediate needs of host communities and underlined the importance of the pledging conference the Secretary-General will convene in Kuwait on January 15, 2014.

In relation to the Lebanese Armed Forces’ five-year capacities development plan, they “noted steps taken to implement coordination mechanisms and welcomed Italy’s engagement in this regard.”

Participants also welcomed France’s readiness to hold a meeting of the ISG in Paris.

In addition to the Permanent Representative of Lebanon, the meeting was attended by the original participants in the inaugural ISG meeting – the Permanent Representatives of China, France, Russian, Britain, the U.S., the Head of Delegation of the European Union and the Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States – together with the Permanent Representatives of Italy and Germany, which has given a lead on admission programs to receive Syrian refugees.

The conferees welcomed the prospect of expanding engagement with a range of stakeholders, “including through broader high-level meetings.”

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati is expected to kick off a tour to Arab and European countries to urge them to commit to their financial pledges to share the burden of the displaced Syrians, who have put a severe strain on Lebanon's economy.

Miqati, according to An Nahar newspaper published on Monday, will make Qatar his first stop of the tour, which will include Kuwait also.

Kuwait hosted the first donors conference in January, when participating nations pledged $1.5 billion for Syrian refugees. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has already called on the Emir of Kuwait to host a second conference.

There are over 800,000 registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The unregistered refugees bring the number close to 1.3 million.

Miqati has said that he's considering the establishment of camps for the displaced along the border and imposing further measures on those who are crossing into Lebanon.

The security and political crises in Lebanon have been topped with a huge economic burden caused by the Syrian refugees who are escaping the fighting in the neighboring country.

The Lebanese authorities have warned that the massive influx of refugees in the past week could no longer be resolved through humanitarian aid.

They called for a political or security solution to end the crisis.