Plumbly Meets Miqati: U.N. Supports All Steps Aimed at Safeguarding Lebanon’s Stability
U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly praised on Thursday President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s efforts to strengthen calm and stability in Lebanon in light of the recent tensions.
He said after holding talks with Miqati at the Grand Serail: “The United Nations supports all steps aimed at safeguarding Lebanon’s stability and security and the wellbeing of its citizens.
“I relayed the same message to President Suleiman when I met him on Wednesday,” he added.
“In this context, we warmly welcome the president’s determination to revive dialogue in Lebanon at a time when such dialogue and communication is obviously a necessity,” he stressed.
“I know there is public concern about the manifestations of insecurity that have been seen over the past two weeks, but I believe they have also alerted all of us to the need to work together to sustain calm and stability in Lebanon at this time of turbulence in the region,” stated Plumbly.
“Finally I would like to put on record the United Nations’ concern at the abduction of 11 Lebanese pilgrims in Syria earlier this week. We hope for their safe return to their families as soon as possible,” he remarked.
On Saudi King Abdullah’s call for Lebanon to relaunch national dialogue, he responded: “We welcome any suggestions for dialogue and I am certain that dialogue is very important in such circumstances.”
Earlier on Thursday, Plumbly had held talks with Phalange Party chief Amin Gemayel and later met with Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour.
The pilgrims were kidnapped in Aleppo on Tuesday as they were returning to Lebanon from a pilgrimage to Iran.
Plumbly noted that Lebanese had reason to be grateful for and to the many Christians, perhaps still making up as much as twenty percent of the nation's population, who had elected to remain in Lebabon to shepherd their Muslim brethren in the intricacies of Western-style democracy. "As Our Lord said, the West has not left Lebanon orphaned," Plumbly quipped in flawless English.
Miqati bowed deeply in acknowledgement of the wisdom of the UN, and requested to be personally put on trial by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, an activity of the UN, "so that I'll know I'm okay," as he expressed it.