Belgium Calls for 'Mobilizing Int'l Community' in Support of Lebanon

Belgium called Monday for “mobilizing the international community” in solidarity with Lebanon, saying the country “is going through a critical situation” due to the crisis in neighboring Syria.

“I expressed Belgium's strong determination to support Lebanon, especially at the international organizations, as Lebanon is going through a critical situation due to the Syrian crisis and it is hosting a large number of refugees,” Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said after talks with Premier Tammam Salam in Brussels.

“What's needed is to mobilize the international community to show solidarity with Lebanon and support it in order to resolve this issue,” Michel added.

He noted that his discussions with Salam tackled the security concerns, adding that “everyone must work to combat extremism and seek peace and security, which must be the goal of all political forces.”

Salam for his part said he agreed with his Belgian counterpart on “exploring means to improve bilateral relations between our two countries in all fields.”

The premier also highlighted the burden of the Syrian refugee crisis on Lebanon, noting that there are around 1.5 million displaced Syrians in the country.

The issue “poses security, economic, political and social challenges, in addition to the threat of terrorism, which the Lebanese army is confronting on a daily basis,” Salam added.

“This necessitates support for this national institution and for the rest of the security agencies which are bravely fighting the scourge of terrorism,” the PM said.

Y.R.