UK Foreign Affairs Committee visits Lebanon to see first-hand impact of conflict
Members of the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) headed by Chair Rt Hon Dame Emily Thornberry MP, visited Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday to assess the humanitarian, political and security challenges facing the country and the wider region. The delegation included MPs Alan Gemmell, Abtisam Mohamed and Edward Morello.
The visit focused on the devastating impact of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah on civilians in Lebanon, the situation facing Syrian refugees and host communities, and efforts to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and Lebanon’s long-term stability and security.
During the visit, the FAC met with President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, the Lebanese British Friendship Parliamentarian Committee, international partners, and communities affected by conflict.
The program included discussions on the protection of civilians, international humanitarian law, humanitarian access, support for refugees and vulnerable host communities, and the importance of sustainable political and security solutions for Lebanon.
The delegation visited a recently completed UKISF-funded Border Operating Base, one of 86 such positions provided to the Lebanese Armed Forces on the Lebanese-Syrian border since 2013 and saw first-hand how UK funding is supporting border security, extending state authority, and protecting border communities.
In Saadnayel, the FAC met with Syrian displaced families receiving UK aid through the World Food Program and visited a UNICEF Makani multi-service community center, which is supporting the most marginalized children with non-formal education and child protection services.
At the Lebanese Red Cross center in Zahle, the FAC heard about the impact of the conflict on first responders and were briefed on how UK support, in collaboration with the British Red Cross and Lebanese Red Cross, is supporting crisis preparedness.
"The visit examined how the UK government is helping deliver vital assistance to people affected by the crisis in Lebanon and supporting efforts to strengthen Lebanese security and sovereignty," the British Embassy in Beirut said Thursday in a statement.
Source: Naharnet
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