Summary: 4 September 2007, Brussels - Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), met today in Beirut with Prime Minister Fouad SINIORA, the speaker of the Parliament, Nabih BERRI and Cardinal Monseigneur Nasrallah Boutros SFEIR. At a press conference at the end of today's meetings Mr. Solana made the following remarks:
"First of all I am sorry I am late but it was for a good reason, the streets were full of people celebrating the return of the army from the Nahr El-Bared camp.
I will give you a chronological report of my meetings today here in Beirut. I met Prime Minister Siniora and had a long and very productive discussion with him. We talked about three main topics.
Firstly, the situation at the Palestinian camp. I want to publicly congratulate the army and the Government for their success in overcoming terrorism. They did this with the support of the majority of the population. We will help Lebanon with the reconstruction of the camp.
Secondly, we talked about the Presidential elections which we would like to see carried out in accordance with the constitution. It is not for us to say anything more about how to do it. I further met today with Speaker Berri who is also involved in the efforts to solve the political crisis and has made some suggestions. It was a good meeting.
Thirdly, I met the Patriarch, Cardinal Monseigneur Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, who has an important role in the Christian community and in your country as a whole. I gained a good impression from him about how the situation in Lebanon is evolving.
I want to tell you that the EU will continue to have Lebanon close to its heart. We will continue to help Lebanon economically".
Asked for an explanation of Speaker Berri's proposals, Mr. Solana said they needed to be clarified but they were a good step in the right direction towards advancing the process.
Asked for more details about the meeting with the Patriarch, Solana said that their discussion had been a general one and that the Patriarch "is the voice of wisdom and common sense and he feels great love for your country which I share".
In response to a question about the Middle East peace conference and Lebanon's participation in it Mr. Solana said he could not give precise details about this conference which would take place in late autumn. However, he said he could be more specific about an important series of meetings to be held in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September: a meeting of the Quartet, a meeting of the Quartet and the Arab League countries and an important meeting at
ministerial level of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for assistance to the Palestinian people. On the Middle East conference Mr. Solana said "at this point I can only tell you that all countries, particularly Arab countries that take part in a constructive manner are welcome".
Mr. Solana was also asked about his meetings in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. He said " in Ramallah I met President Abbas and other Palestinian leaders and in Israel I met Prime Minister Olmert, Foreign Minister Livni and Defence Minister Barak. I want to be realistic. I have been engaged in these efforts for too long not to remain realistic but I am inclined towards a bit of optimism that something can take place. I do not want expectations to be too high but I am cautiously
optimistic. President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert have met five times and they will meet again around the 10 or 11 September. The calendar for the coming months is pretty dense. I am not saying that meetings alone can solve things but I am hopeful that they might lead to some results".
Asked by a journalist if the Shebaa farms had been discussed Mr. Solana said he had spoken about them with the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, and would do so again in September.
Mr. Solana was asked about contacts with Syria and how Syria could help Lebanon. He replied that he had visited Syria a while ago and had met some Syrian leaders more recently. He thought the best way for Syria to help Lebanon was to let Lebanon do its work and let the Lebanese President carry on working. He said he thought that Syria's leaders were beginning to understand that.
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