At the end of the Rome II Conference yesterday evening, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the Italian Minister of foreign affairs Angelino Alfano and the Acting UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Pernille Dahler Kardel, held a joint press conference.
Alfano
Minister Alfano said:
“I am very pleased with the outcome of this conference and would like to thank first Prime Minister Hariri and UN Coordinator Ms. Kardel. Over the past few hours, we worked with hope to reach a final declaration, which has been approved, and the result is a joint statement that has been distributed to the press.
I would like to mention some aspects that I consider important in relation to today's conference: First, to strengthen the capabilities of the army, police and security services in Lebanon as a fundamental step towards broader support for state institutions and for the dissociation policy of Lebanon from the crises of the region.
Second, I am confident that this international effort helps the atmosphere of dialogue and pluralism and reflects the identity of Lebanon. We extend our best wishes to Lebanon and note that this is the first of three important events related to Lebanon. There is also the CEDRE conference to be held in Paris on April 6 that will focus on economic issues and on April 24 the Brussels conference concerning the humanitarian crisis of Syrian displacement to neighboring countries, and this concerns Lebanon of course.
Here in Rome, we wrote a clear path in the framework of the friendly relations with Lebanon, whether in the Mediterranean or in Europe. I particularly address all those who helped me in this conference and thank them for the important role they have played, whether in Lebanon or in the international and multilateral organizations.
Hariri
Hariri said:
“This afternoon we did a successful work and I thank Italy and the United Nations once again for organizing this conference.
As you know, this conference was not to make promises, but the result was a unanimous support from the international community to the stability and security of Lebanon and the army, the Internal security forces and all security services.
This political support will be followed by bilateral announcements from the participating countries this year and over the next years. Lebanon is today embarked in an effort to consolidate state institutions and preserve stability and security. This effort has been supported by all here today. We are also embarked in an effort to kick start our economy. The international community will be convening at the CEDRE conference in Paris to support that effort. Finally we will be at Brussels 2 conference to see that the international community does its share in facing the burden of over 1.5 million displaced in Lebanon. The army, the ISF and the various security agencies presented today their five year plans to upgrade their equipment and capabilities. The 40 countries present today will each be examining ways to assist according to their financing, aid and equipment capabilities. Even though this is not a pledging conference, I thank France and Minister Le Drian for his announcement of 400 million euros facility for the Lebanese army and the ISF. I also thank all other countries present with us today for recognizing that Lebanon’s stability and security is necessary for the region and the world. I am confident this support will translate soon into concrete steps. Once again thank you”.
Kardel
Then Kardel said:
“We just ended a very important conference. On behalf of the UN Secretary General I would like to thank the government of Italy for hosting us today at this very successful event. I wish to emphasize that what we witnessed today demonstrates the unity of the international community in supporting Lebanon's stability, security, territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty. We heard the Prime Minister express Lebanon’s ambition to consolidate its security forces and the state authority in this area. We also heard the International community express its support of Lebanon and its institutions. This is important because we all agree that strengthening the institutions, especially security ones, is essential to prevent conflicts.
I would like to stress that, although this conference was not to make promises, we were pleased to hear the commitment to support the Lebanese plans. This conference is an essential step towards building a peaceful and stable Lebanon, which is very important for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 and the extension of the authority of the Lebanese State in the area of operation of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon. The conference was an important step in this direction”.
Question: How can we strengthen the role of the Lebanese army and make sure that these weapons will not end with Hezbollah?
Hariri: I think that Lebanon, throughout its history, has shown that all aid to the Lebanese army, the internal security forces or any security apparatus in Lebanon is well preserved. The history of the Lebanese army is known to the international community. We received assistance from different countries, and none of them has ever gone to any party.
Of course, Israel promoted that the Lebanese army will provide these weapons to anyone in Lebanon, but as a government we assure you that this will not happen, never happened in the past and will not happen in the future.
Question: It is true that this conference is not for promises, but 50 million euros have been pledged by 2020. Are you satisfied with these commitments, regardless of the figures?
Hariri: As we have already mentioned, this conference is not to make promises but to mobilize support for Lebanon. At the same time, Lebanon's mission was to present what the different Lebanese security forces need, and we will be happy to hold bilateral talks and form a follow-up committee. We will decide on that in the coming days, to follow-up with all countries willing to assist and commit to the pledge. France provided this credit line, which is about 400 million euros and can be used by the Lebanese army and security forces to buy equipment. We are very satisfied with these results.
Question: Are there conditions linked to political positions for this international assistance?
Hariri: This aid is unconditioned. Every time we got assistance for the Lebanese army or the internal security forces, there were no conditions. The only condition is to maintain our unity and the stability of the country.
Question: You talked about the defense strategy. Will it be the title of the next phase in order to starting the practical translation of this conference? Are we in front of a new transitional period in the south after your talk about a new deployment of the Lebanese army?
Hariri: The Lebanese army, according to Resolution 1701, has to have between 10 and 15,000 troops in the south. The number today is less than 8,000, so we as a Lebanese state should increase the number in the south. Today we talked about the more advanced model regiment and it is in the interest of the Lebanese army to have a model that is so sophisticated.
As for the defense strategy, this is an issue on the table in the country. The President spoke about it three days ago and about two months ago, and we say that dialogue is essential for resolving any issue on which the Lebanese disagree. We are therefore going in the direction of dialogue on the subject of defense strategy.
TWEET YOUR COMMENT