German FM in Lebanon Thursday in Show of Support Given Deteriorating Syrian Crisis

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon on Thursday in the first of a series of visits by European officials aimed at voicing support for Lebanon, reported the daily An Nahar on Tuesday.

A European diplomat told the daily that the visits are a “show of support for Lebanon given the deteriorating Syrian crisis.”

“They will highlight Europe’s emphasis on the importance of Lebanon’s stability at a time of regional unrest,” he added.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, and Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov are all scheduled to travel to Lebanon in the upcoming weeks, said An Nahar.

A diplomatic source told the daily that Westerwelle will express fears to Lebanese officials over the possibility of the Syrian unrest spreading to Lebanon.

He will urge President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Najib Miqati to fortify Lebanon’s internal scene against the spread of the Syrian unrest, said another diplomatic source.

This issue has become a center of discussion for European officials during various meetings as demonstrated through Westerwelle’s talks on Monday with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius, reported An Nahar.

The French official had encouraged on Monday all Lebanese factions to comply with President Michel Suleiman’s call to resume the national dialogue on June 11 seeing as it is the only way to ease current tensions in the country.

The German foreign minister last visited Lebanon in May 2010.