Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and 15 other countries call for Lebanon’s inclusion in any regional peace effort

Eduardo González The foreign ministers of Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, and thirteen other countries have called, in a joint statement, for Lebanon's inclusion "in regional de-escalation efforts." They also condemned, "in the strongest terms," Hezbollah's attacks against Israel and Israel's attacks against Lebanon and UNIFIL, and urged both sides to "seize the opportunity" presented by the opening of direct negotiations between the two countries. "We, the foreign ministers of Spain, Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, request that Lebanon be included in regional de-escalation efforts and urge all parties to work towards a lasting political solution," the statement, released on Tuesday, April 14, begins. “The prolongation of the war in Lebanon jeopardizes the current regional détente, which we have welcomed and which must be fully respected by all parties,” the joint statement continues. “We welcome President (of Lebanon, Joseph) Aoun’s initiative to begin direct negotiations with Israel and Israel’s acceptance of the US-facilitated talks. We call on both sides to seize this opportunity,” the text continues. “Direct negotiations can pave the way for lasting security for Lebanon and Israel, as well as for the entire region. We are ready to support them. Therefore, we call on all parties to urgently reduce tensions and seize the opportunity presented by the US-Iran ceasefire,” the signatories warn. The ministers condemn, “in the strongest terms, Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel, which must cease immediately,” and also condemn, “in the strongest terms, the massive Israeli attacks against Lebanon launched on April 8, which, according to the latest information provided by the Lebanese authorities, resulted in the deaths of more than 350 people and left more than 1,000 wounded.” “Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law,” the statement warns. The text also condemns, “in the strongest terms,” the attacks against the UN mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and reiterates that “the safety of United Nations peacekeepers must be guaranteed at all times.” “We express our full solidarity and firm support for the Lebanese people and authorities. We stand ready to provide emergency assistance to the more than one million displaced people in Lebanon, in coordination with the Lebanese government,” the statement continues. “We reaffirm the importance of respecting Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as fully implementing UN Security Council resolution 1701 (2006). We will continue to support the Lebanese state in exercising its full sovereignty over all Lebanese territory,” the signatory ministers stated. “In this context, we commend the Lebanese government’s decision to prohibit Hezbollah’s military activities, as well as its decision to reinforce the full imposition of state authority over Beirut and its exclusive monopoly on weapons, and we encourage their prompt and full implementation,” the joint statement concluded.

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