UN envoy: I urged Hezbollah to abide by Baabda declaration

UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly said that he had urged the Shiite group Hezbollah to abide by the Baabda Declaration.

“I discussed with Hezbollah the importance of the Baabda Declaration and the necessity to abide by it, as well as the danger of not accepting it,” Plumbly said in remarks published by Al-Hayat newspaper on Sunday.< The UN envoy also voiced the support of the international community for the Baabda Declaration and the policy of dissociation advocated by the Lebanese government and repeatedly expressed by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. “The international community reiterates its support [for the Baabda Declaration], since we consider it to be most wise and we hope that our message is heard.” “We underscore the importance of dissociating Lebanon from the Syrian crisis and not only to deal with the refugees crisis,” he added. The Baabda Declaration is an agreement that was reached between Lebanon’s opposing political leaders in 2012 which calls for distancing Lebanon from regional and international conflicts. Thousands of Hezbollah fighters are fighting alongside the forces loyal to president Bashar al Assad against the Syrian rebels who are seeking to overthrow the 40 year old regime despite the Baabda agreement. NOW