NNA – Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Thursday delivered Lebanon#39;s word at the 78th UN General Assembly in New York, in which he said that quot;Lebanon is today facing many and overlapping crises, under a weakened international system and a regional climate brimming with tensions and challenges that weigh heavily on the Lebanese people.quot;
quot;The first challenge is the vacuum of the presidency of the republic and the inability to elect a new president for the county, which led to an institutional and political instability, an exacerbation of the economic and financial crisis, and a failure to launch the reforms and the economic and financial recovery plans,quot; he said.
quot;I look forward to the Lebanese parliament exercising its sovereign role by electing a president of the republic in the coming period, a president around whom the Lebanese would be united, and who will enshrine the return of the republic through the presidency of the republic and the constitutional institutions, in addition to Lebanon#39;s return to playing its pioneering role, in close cooperation with our Arab brothers and our friends in the international community,quot; he went on saying, commending the role assumed by the five-nation committee and the French initiative aimed at achieving this constitutional milestone.
Mikati also shed light on the quot;successive waves of (Syrian) displacement,quot; warning of serious economic and social repercussions that threaten Lebanon#39;s existence.
quot;Although we have already voiced our concerns in all the international fora, and in this forum in particular, the international community#39;s response to this humanitarian tragedy is still timid and falls short of an effective sustainable solution,quot; he deplored.
quot;I warn once again against the displacement#39;s negative repercussions that only deepen the crises in Lebanon, which will not be the only country in the eye of the storm. I also reiterate the call to devise a roadmap in cooperation with all the international stakeholders, to find sustainable solutions to the Syrian displacement crisis before its repercussions spiral out of control,quot; said Mikati.
He then announced that Lebanon has reached an agreement with the UNHCR regarding the exchange of data about the Syrians present in Lebanon, stressing keenness on consolidating cooperation with the international and UN organizations.
quot;The third challenge,quot; Mikati continued, quot;is that of Israel#39;s continuous occupation of swathes of our territories in the south, and its continuous aggressions and daily violations of the Lebanese sovereignty,quot; renewing Lebanon#39;s commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and all the relevant resolutions.
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