The European Parliament will vote on a new resolution on Lebanon based on the outcome of a visit by an EU parliament delegation during which they met with Lebanese officials, civil society groups, and families of the victims of the Beirut port explosion.
Delegation chair Isabel Santos said at a press conference on Thursday that “the resolution, which will include the topics addressed during the visit, will be voted on at the next plenary session of the EU parliament.”
Santos noted that the resolution will cover the political crisis, the socio-economic conditions, corruption, and the need for reforms, in addition to an appeal for “justice and accountability” for the more than 200 victims of the massive port blast of August 4.
She stressed that “it will be difficult for the country to find peace and social cohesion unless this issue is addressed properly.”
The six-member “delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries” also toured Palestinian refugee camps and tented settlements of displaced Syrians during the 3-day visit.
Santos reiterated the EU’s stance on the repatriation of more than 2 million displaced Syrians, the majority of whom Lebanon considers to be remaining for economic rather than security reasons.
“Their return can only be according to international standards and conditions of human rights, security, and stability. They are refugees who fled the war; they don’t have conditions to return,” Santos said, adding, “we are not refusing to tackle the problem of refugees, but conditions have to be met.”
A press statement issued by the delegation underlined that “Lebanon needs to have a president and a fully functional government that adopts a clear stance against corruption and improves transparency and accountability in order to get any financial help from the EU.”
