BEIRUT: Lebanon will have a defensive role in the fight against ISIS, Prime Minister Tammam Salam said Tuesday after arriving in New York, adding that his country was in need of urgent aid to cope with the huge influx of Syrian refugees.
Salam, who is taking part in the 69th session of the U.N. General Assembly, held a series of meetings with head of states and top international officials. “ Lebanon is taking part in the war against ISIS from a defensive position because it lacks the military capabilities to be on the offensive,” he told Al-Arabiya TV.
A U.S.-led coalition began striking ISIS positions in Syria Tuesday, weeks after it started targeting the group’s headquarters in Iraq.
“The danger of terrorism is not limited to Lebanon but in the entire region and we are in need of support,” Salam added.
Regarding the Syrian refugee crisis, Salam said Lebanon needed additional aid to cope with the situation.
“We are determined to raise our voice regarding the Syrian refugees to contact all sides to get support,” Salam said, stressing that no country in the world could endure the magnitude of the refugee crisis Lebanon was falling under.
“The assistance should not only be directed to Syrian refugees but also to the hosting people that are carrying the biggest burden,” he said. “We hope to receive more support by our presence at the U.N. now, and we rely on donor states to a great extent.”
Salam is expected to address the U.N. General Assembly Friday.
The premier met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Iraqi President Fouad Massoum, King Abdullah of Jordan and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.
Addressing Salam, Sisi said: “Your security stems from our security and our security stems from your security.” He also offered training to Lebanese Army units to be provided by the Egyptian Army.
Salam also met U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon, head of the Arab League Nabil Elaraby and U.K. Foreign Minister Philip Hammond.
Salam also attended a reception hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama in honor of the heads of delegations participating in the U.N. General Assembly sessions and met World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.
Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, who accompanied Salam to New York, met his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud al-Faisal. The two discussed issues related to counterterrorsim and arming Lebanon’s Army.
Bassil also took part in a seminar on the need to combat international terrorism during which he stressed that the Lebanese military needed support to confront terrorism.