Lebanon ‘fighting terrorism alongside Syria’ – Lebanese FM

In the run-up to the international conference on Syria, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour has talked to the Voice of Russia about the situation in the country and hopes that Lebanon pins on the anticipated Geneva-2 peace talks.

Lebanon has been in a ten-month limbo to create a new government that would unite the country’s many sects and political parties. Can we expect a result any soon?

Yes, we can. Lebanon is indeed going to create a new government that will merge different religious groups. As of now, we still have to sit through many negotiations and roundtables that are expected to thrash the whole matter out. The Lebanese are growing impatient because there are some old problems in the country that can only be resolved at the highest level.

Lebanon has officially been invited to the Geneva-2 conference. What issues is it going to raise?

Lebanon is going to attend this meeting as the closest neighbor of the country gripped by the crisis that will be its focal point. We are concerned about the situation in Syria, since this spillover is impacting both our country and the entire region. We have been fighting terrorism alongside Syria as our very existence depends on the outcome. So it’s only natural that we are planning to discuss the war on terror, regional security and the future of Syrian refuges in Lebanon. Lebanon’s stand on this is more than clear in that the crisis in Syria can only be resolved through political settlement and dialog. We are against a military invasion in Syria, which we believe to be an ineffective way of putting an end to a political crisis.

What do you expect of the Geneva-2 talks?

We hope that the warring parties will reach a compromise. The success of this undertaking depends, first of all, on the Syrians who will speak on behalf of various political groups. And we promise to bend every effort to end the ongoing bloodshed in Syria.

Source:VoR

R.S