Britain vows to support stability in post-crisis Lebanon
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Monday pledged his country”s support for stability in post-crisis Lebanon, at the end of a 24-hour visit.
"Lebanon can be a force for stability in the Middle East rather than being a victim of instability in the Middle East. And that has been the focus of my visit so far," he told reporters after meeting Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.
Miliband also held talks with newly-elected President Michel Sleiman and parliament speaker Nabih Berri.
Sleiman”s election followed a six-month void in the presidency due to a prolonged political crisis that pitted the ruling Western-backed bloc against the opposition, backed by Syria and Iran, and turned violent in early May.
Clashes between the rival groups left 65 dead and came to an end after the two sides sealed a deal in Qatar on May 21 that brought about Sleiman”s election, in what Miliband billed "a turning point."
"Let”s be honest, the world breathed a very large sigh of relief when the Doha agreement was signed… It now needs to be translated into practical gains for the Lebanese people," Miliband said.
The foreign secretary said Britain would offer political and practical support for Lebanese stability.
"As a member of the UN Security Council, we are fully committed to play our part and to urge others to do so in ensuring that all of Resolution 1701 is put into practice, including the Shebaa Farms issue," he said.
Resolution 1701 brought an end to a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006 and called for the UN secretary general to make a proposal for the delineation of the disputed Shebaa Farms area.
Israel captured the 25-square-kilometre (10-square-mile) area of land on the Israel-Lebanon-Syria border along with the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it along with the rest of the strategic plateau.
In the past, the United Nations has viewed Shebaa Farms as Syrian, but Lebanon today claims sovereignty over the territory with the approval of Damascus.
A 2007 UN report on the terroritory did not decide on ownership or sovereignty issues.