European Parliament Members Urge Lebanon to Boost Aid to Syrian Refugees

European Parliament members visiting Lebanon on Tuesday lauded “the efforts undertaken by the Lebanese authorities, their partners, the NGOs and the local population to provide assistance” to Syrians fleeing the violence in their country to Lebanon.

The parliamentary delegation comprises Veronique de Keyser, Member of the European Parliament and Vice President for Foreign Affairs of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S & D), and Ana Gomes, Member of the European Parliament and the foreign affairs coordinator of the S & D Group.

De Keyser and Gomes met with President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, members of the Lebanese-European friendship group at the Lebanese Parliament, and also with representatives of Lebanese civil society, said a statement issued by the Delegation of the European Union in Lebanon.

“Meetings are foreseen with the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblat, the head of the Hizbullah parliamentary bloc Mohammed Raad, the head of the (al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc), former Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, as well as with officials and parliamentarians from different political parties,” said the statement.

“The parliamentary delegation sought to inform themselves about the political situation in Lebanon, and to better understand the impact of the crisis in Syria on the country,” the statement added.

They also visited several localities in the region of Wadi Khaled to “better understand the situation on the ground in this border region, including about the humanitarian assistance provided by the Lebanese authorities to Syrian refugees and displaced, in partnership with international organizations and Lebanese non-governmental organizations.”

On her return to Beirut, MEP De Keyser remarked: "Needs are great and could rise further with the arrival of new refugees and displaced persons. All possible means must be mobilized to help these people to the greatest extent possible.”

She called on the European Union to “treat this issue as a priority and to intensify its humanitarian efforts.”

“In this context, the parliamentary delegation wishes to encourage the Lebanese authorities to further increase the humanitarian assistance provided to the refugees and displaced as well as to the population living at the Lebanese border areas, to further strengthen the role of public authorities to this end -- e.g. by extending the mandate of the High Relief Committee to other regions of the country -- and to facilitate the circulation of Syrian refugees and displaced throughout Lebanon,” she added.

The parliamentary delegation also reiterated the commitment of the European Union to Lebanon in the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy, including the implementation of its agenda of political, economic and social reform.

“In this regard, the parliamentary delegation believes that further efforts need to be made, including with respect to human rights in general and the rights of women in particular. This observation is made in the context of recent discussions concerning domestic violence. The parliamentary delegation supports the efforts of civil society in this field,” said the statement of the Delegation of the European Union.