Friends of Lebanon Declaration

We, the Foreign Ministers and Representatives of Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States together with the Secretary General of the Arab League, the Secretary General of the Council of the European Union and the Secretary General of the United Nations, joined a ministerial representative of the government of Lebanon today to exchange views on how best to support the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political independence of a secure, democratic, and economically prosperous Lebanon characterized by confessional harmony and loyalty among its citizens. A stable Lebanon will give a positive impetus on peace and international security in the wider region and beyond.

We remain strongly committed to supporting the legitimate Lebanese government and the democratic institutions of the country as they work to achieve this shared vision for Lebanon.

We are deeply dismayed at the ongoing political stalemate. We call for the immediate election of the consensual candidate General Suleiman as president without prior conditions, the establishment of a national unity government, and the holding of general elections in conformity with an electoral law agreed by all parties, in accordance with the Arab League plan. We call for inter-Lebanese political dialogue, specifically through Lebanese constitutional institutions.

Lebanese institutions, like the presidency, cabinet, parliament, armed forces, and security services, provide the backbone for a sovereign, secure, and prosperous state. We reiterate our full support for the Lebanese government in its efforts to preserve the stability of the country and to provide prosperity for the Lebanese people – from all confessions and all regions of the country.

We call on all parties inside and outside Lebanon to respect Lebanon’s independence and sovereignty. Three years after Syria’s military withdrawal from Lebanon, time has come for Syria and Lebanon to redefine and normalize ties between these two historically close neighbors in mutual respect for their sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence. In this context, the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria, the delineation of their shared border, and a commitment not to permit the use of their respective territories to destabilize the other would constitute significant steps to secure peace and stability in the region.

We welcome the Arab League’s commitment to address Lebanese-Syrian relations as part of the Arab League’s initiative. In this context, we have taken note of Prime Minister Siniora’s call to address and resolve these issues. We hope that all parties will work towards that goal.

Mindful of Prime Minister Siniora’s Seven Points of July 2006, we reaffirm the importance of full implementation of the Taef agreement, all UN Security Council resolutions pertaining to Lebanon, including resolutions 1559, 1680, 1701, and 1757, as well as the implementation of the Arab initiative.

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