Nicosia, Cyprus. Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos on Tuesday signed a joint declaration by European foreign ministers expressing “full support for the Lebanese government and people” as the conflict in the Middle East spills across Lebanon’s borders.
Declaration signatories and calls for restraint
The statement called on Israel to “refrain from any further escalation of the conflict”.
Kombos signed alongside Belgium’s Maxime Prevot, Croatia’s Gordan Grlic-Radman, France’s Jean-Noel Barrot, Greece’s Giorgos Gerapetritis, Italy’s Antonio Tajani, Malta’s Ian Borg, the Netherlands’ Tom Berendsen, Portugal’s Paulo Rangel, the United Kingdom’s Yvette Cooper, and the European Union’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas.
Impact on Lebanon and condolences
The 11 signatories said the people of Lebanon are “once again suffering the dramatic consequences of a war they did not choose” and offered “condolences to the families of the victims”. The statement cited estimates that more than 1,000 people in Lebanon have died since the conflict began in earnest four weeks ago, with a million people displaced so far.
Hezbollah, Iran, and solidarity with civilians
The statement expressed solidarity with “the civilian populations affected by this war in both Lebanon and Israel” and described Lebanese insurgent group Hezbollah as “responsible for the situation”.
The signatories said they “strongly condemn Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel in support of Iran” and that they “must cease immediately”, adding that the priority is to avoid further escalation of the regional conflict with Iran.
Support for negotiations and Lebanese sovereignty
The statement praised the Lebanese government’s call for direct negotiations with the Israeli government aimed at ending the conflict, describing the offer as “historic and courageous”.
It said “the only way to protect the country from foreign interference is to strengthen Lebanon’s state, institutions, and sovereignty” and called for direct political negotiations between Lebanon and Israel to help bring a lasting end to the conflict and create conditions for peaceful regional coexistence.
The signatories said they support the Lebanese government’s approach and encouraged it to implement “concrete and irreversible measures” to restore sovereignty over all Lebanese territory, including regarding the state monopoly on arms.
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