Lebanese president meets with Finnish FM
Lebanon-European Union, Politics, 8/6/1999

Lebanon has asserted its commitment to the principles on the grounds of which it joined peace negotiations, especially UN resolution 425 pertaining to immediate Israeli withdrawal from the south and the western Bekaa.

This was expressed during the meeting held on Thursday night between President Emile Lahoud and Finnish Foreign Minister Tarja Halonen, currently visiting Lebanon in the presence of the EU's Middle East peace process envoy, Miguel Moratinos.

Following the meeting, Minister Halonen stressed the commitment of the EU to giving the Middle East peace process a push all tracks, especially on the Syria and Lebanese tracks.

She indicated that discussions during the meeting with President Lahoud dealt with relations between the EU and Lebanon and the Middle East peace process.

She described the Lebanese and Finnish viewpoints as identical towards the importance of pushing forward the peace process. She expressed her hope hat genuine progress will be achieved in the peace negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, noting the importance of taking into account the Syrian and Lebanese tracks in these negotiations.

For his part, Lebanese Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss has asserted that there is a grave Israeli stand towards the question of the Palestinian refugees and their right to return back home.

In statements he made to reporters in Beirut on Thursday, the Lebanese premier called statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, in which he rejected the return of the Palestinians to their lands, "a grave matter and raises questions on possibilities of achieving real peace in the region."

Al-Hoss, on the other hand, asked Lebanon's representative at the UN to inform UN Secretary General Kofi Annan about the sufferings of the Lebanese citizens of Bint Jbelil and Eita al-Shaab, besieged by the Israeli occupation forces, and to make intensive contacts with sides concerned at the UN as well as explained to them the conditions of the besieged citizens. Al-Hoss urged the world sides concerned to pressure Israel to lifting the siege imposed on the two towns very soon.

Al-Hoss praised the efforts made by the UNIFIL working in south Lebanon and the International Red Cross in their humanitarian efforts to alleviate the sufferings of the besieged people.

Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Lebanon, David Satterfield, expressed his hope to achieve a progress on the Syrian-Lebanese track in the Middle East peace process.

This was expressed in a press statement made by the US ambassador following his meeting on Thursday with the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri. Berri and Satterfield discussed during the meeting the Israeli practices in south Lebanon and the developments of the Middle East peace process.

Previous Stories:
  King Abdullah receives Finnish foreign minister   (8/5/1999)
  Lahoud: Unity of stand with Syria guarantees just peace   (8/5/1999)
  Lahoud: Israeli withdrawal must be complete, unconditional   (7/31/1999)
  Berri meets with Habash   (7/30/1999)

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