The Daily Star
BEIRUT:
A strong and stable Lebanon is in the best interest of the entire
region, Italian Parliament Speaker Laura Boldrini said Monday after
holding talks with Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Tammam Salam.
For
his part, Berri warned that the refugee crisis posed a danger not only
to Lebanon and the region, but also to Europe, including Italy.
The
impact of the presence of more than 1 million Syrian refugees, in
addition to 500,000 Palestinian refugees, on Lebanon’s stability and
weak infrastructure was a major topic in Boldrini’s talks with Berri,
Salam and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.
Boldrini said that she
decided to make this official visit “in view of Lebanon’s important and
strategic role in the Mediterranean.”
“It is in the best interest
of the entire region for Lebanon to remain stable, strong and an example
for [sectarian] coexistence,” she told a joint news conference with
Berri at the latter’s residence in Ain al-Tineh.
Boldrini said she
asked Berri to increase Lebanon’s participation in the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, which includes 43
countries, including the European Union, the Balkan, North Africa and
Middle East countries.
The Italian official lauded Lebanon’s
capability to host a large influx of Syrian refugees and an estimated
half million Palestinian refugees. The U.N. High Commissioner for
Refugees has registered around 1.1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon,
while the Lebanese government puts the actual number at more than 1.5
million. North Lebanon and the Bekaa governorates accommodate the
highest number of refugees as they border war-ravaged Syria.
Moreover, Lebanon hosts about 500,000 Palestinian refugees residing mostly in 12 official camps across the country.
“We
also spoke about the refugee problem. I praised the role of Lebanon
which hosts 1.5 million Syrian refugees and a half million Palestinian
refugees. I thanked Speaker Berri for Lebanon’s role in this respect,”
Boldrini said.
Boldrini, who served as a spokesperson for the
UNHCR from 1998 to 2012, stressed during the meeting with Berri that the
refugees “cannot become a part of Lebanon’s fabric, especially since
this hurts the internal Lebanese balances, which should be maintained in
view of Lebanon’s important role.” Her remarks appeared to make an
allusion to the widespread sensitive issue of naturalization.
A
report last month by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon drew the ire of Lebanese
officials as it was interpreted as a call for Lebanon to resettle Syrian
refugees, something the U.N. has vehemently denied.
Lebanese
officials have repeatedly voiced their refusal to permanently resettle
refugees in the country during meetings with U.N. envoys and foreign
officials.
Boldrini said she agreed with Berri on the need to
redouble efforts aimed at reaching a political settlement to the
5-year-old war in Syria. “A military solution is not sufficient and
cannot lead to a final solution to the conflict in Syria,” she said.
Berri
said he agreed with Boldrini on a memorandum of understanding and
cooperation between the two countries’ parliaments to be signed soon by
both Lebanese and Italian parliamentarians.
He said the talks
focused on the number of refugees and displaced people in Lebanon. “The
refugee crisis is posing a danger not only to Lebanon and the region,
but also to European states, including Italy, because it increases
extremism there,” Berri then stated at the joint news conference.
The
talks also covered economic cooperation between Lebanon and Italy,
“especially since the volume of Lebanese and Italian investments is the
largest between Lebanon and any European state,” Berri said.
Berri
praised the role played by Italian troops serving with the United
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, in particular by outgoing UNIFIL
commander Maj. Gen. Luciano Portolano.
“The Italian Brigade within UNIFIL is one of the three major powers and most effective,” Berri then added.
The
Italian speaker’s talks with Salam at the Grand Serail centered on ways
to expand relations between the two countries, the National News Agency
reported.
Boldrini’s meetings with Berri and Salam were also
attended by MP Michel Musa from Berri’s bloc and the Italian Ambassador
to Lebanon Massimo Marotti.
Boldrini, who arrived in Beirut Sunday
on an official visit, will also inspect her country’s contingent in
UNIFIL in the south and tour a Syrian refugee camp in the eastern Bekaa
Valley.
