Mikati from New York: Syrian crisis impacts threaten regional peace, stability

Lebanese PM Najib Mikati declared that the security repercussions of the Syrian crisis are threatening civil peace and stability in the Middle East region, especially in Lebanon, calling on the international community to exert more efforts in order to assure political consensus among Syrian parties to end the violence claiming hundreds of innocent lives each day.

In his speech during the General Assembly’s session at the UN Headquarters in New York, Mikati said that distancing Lebanon from the Syrian incidents is the right decision, stressing that Lebanon did not distance itself from providing humanitarian aid to the Syrian refugees in Lebanon.                    

On the other hand, Mikati stressed Lebanon’s commitment to stability and security regulations in the South as well as the implementation of the UN resolution 1701. He urged the international community to pressure Israel to respect international resolutions, to immediately withdraw from Shebaa Farms, Kfarshouba Hills and the northern part of the Ghajar village, and to stop its threats against Lebanon.            

Separately, Mikati reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to defend its exclusive economic zone and its maritime borders set according to international law, and based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, stressing Lebanon’s right to extract its natural wealth and resources.