Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-03-08-Speech-2-175"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20050308.21.2-175"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, the Council is following the grave political crisis in Lebanon closely and with great concern. This crisis, which was triggered by the three-year extension of President Lahoud’s term of office imposed by Syria, culminated in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and ten other innocent civilians.
The Council assures the European Parliament that it will spare no effort to achieve a political solution to the Lebanese question, in accordance with the wishes of the vast majority of the Lebanese people.
The European Union has firmly condemned this barbaric act and this House debated it at length just a few days ago. Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was a man of peace who believed in dialogue, and was a friend of Europe. The challenge that Lebanon is facing needs to be met with unity and calm, and respect for the two principles for which Mr Hariri fought throughout his life: Lebanon’s independence and sovereignty.
The resignation of the Karami government in the face of popular pressure has created a new situation of which we need to take advantage. The Presidency wishes to congratulate the Lebanese people on their courage and determination to regain full sovereignty and to live in freedom in a democratic country.
The Council bodies held an initial exchange of views on the Lebanese crisis on 4 March, and revisited this issue this morning in the presence of Mr Roed-Larsen, the United Nations special envoy responsible for the implementation of Resolution 1559.
For his part, the High Representative, Javier Solana, will tomorrow be meeting a delegation of representatives of the Lebanese opposition.
The main thrust of the European Union’s action should be as follows. First of all, we need to support the formation of a new transitional government acceptable to the key players in Lebanese politics and respecting Lebanon’s constitutional framework.
Secondly, if political life in Lebanon is to return to normal, the circumstances surrounding the assassination of Rafik Hariri and those responsible for it need to be carefully scrutinised. The Union therefore supports the United Nations commission of inquiry and intends to keep up pressure on the Lebanese authorities to carry out a thorough investigation.
Furthermore, it is important to support the holding of free and fair elections. The European Union will be willing to provide assistance in this respect, in particular by sending a team of election observers if the new Lebanese Government so wishes. For its part, the Commission is about to carry out an exercise on the ground to assess the need and scope for electoral assistance. The Commission will be able to give fuller details of this in its own presentation.
Lastly, we have to keep up pressure on all concerned to achieve full and immediate implementation of Resolution 1559, which calls for complete and immediate withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples