Press release

UK urges all parties in Lebanon to prioritise national interest

Foreign Secretary underlines importance of all parties working together for national interest in Lebanon as challenges from Syria grow.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Commenting after the Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati offered his resignation, Foreign Secretary William Hague said:

We are monitoring the situation in Lebanon carefully, following Prime Minister Mikati’s offer of resignation. I am also very concerned about the violence in Tripoli in recent days.

As I saw for myself last month, the crisis in Syria presents Lebanon with mounting challenges. Prime Minister Mikati is playing an important role in responding to those challenges and I pay tribute to his efforts.

It is critical that all parties in Lebanon prioritise national interests and work to form a more consensual government. It is also critical that they reach a broad consensus to enable parliamentary elections to take place within the legal and constitutional framework and to support the work of the Lebanese security forces to maintain peace and protect Lebanon’s territorial integrity. We fully support the efforts of President Sleiman in this process.

Further information

UK in Lebanon website

Published 23 March 2013