I just had a useful meeting with MP Mohammad Raad. I earlier had the honor of a meeting with H.E. the President of the Republic Gen. Michel Sleiman and subsequently met caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati with representatives of the permanent members of the Security Council at a meeting he had called originally to discuss the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and our joint efforts to meet their needs.
With Mr. Raad I also discussed parliamentary and political issues, and reiterated our view as to the importance of speedy agreement in the coming days on the issue of the electoral law so that parliamentary elections can be conducted within the constitutional framework. I can confirm from having consulted them that this is the shared view of representatives of the permanent five whom I met last week and of other missions concerned with the elections, and of course Security Council members collectively expressed the view very clearly in a recent statement.
The United Nations’ core concern in Lebanon is to help keep the country safe and stable against the backdrop of the conflict in Syria. In all my meetings I have stressed the importance of the Baabda Declaration and the policy of dissociation for that. On the events of the weekend in Syria, I would refer you to the UN Secretary-General’s statement in which he expressed grave concern over the reports of Israeli air strikes and urged respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in the region, and adherence to all relevant Security Council resolutions.
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