Germany pledges backing for Lebanese democracy (Roundup)

Sep 5, 2007, 13:19 GMT

Berlin - German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to assist Lebanon to establish and maintain its democratic institutions at a meeting in Berlin Wednesday with Prime Minister Fouad Seniora.

Referring to forthcoming Lebanese presidential elections, Merkel said: 'Germany will do what it can to secure the success ... of the process of the election of the president.'

The election takes place on September 25.

Merkel renewed a call on Syria to recognize Lebanese sovereignty and to 'play a constructive part' in securing stability in Lebanon.

'Unfortunately that has not been the case to the extent that we would have wished to see,' she added.

Merkel called for improved controls along the border with Syria, where Germany is engaged in a project to assist the Lebanese authorities.

She welcomed the retaking of the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp by the Lebanese government forces last week from the Fatah al-Islam.

Seniora characterized the Fatah al-Islam as a 'terrorist group which wanted to prevail over all Lebanon.'

He called on Germany to continue to assist with the equipping and training of the Lebanese army.

During her meeting with Seniora, German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul pledged a further 2 million euros (2.7 million dollars) in aid to the estimated 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

The 2 million euros came on top of 2 million pledged during a trip by Wieczorek-Zeul to Lebanon in July and is to be used primarily to improve infrastructure.

The aim was to improve living conditions for the refugees, many of whom have lived their entire lives in the camps and to prevent terrorist groups like al-Qaeda from 'disseminating hatred,' she said.

Seniora was also to meet Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Merkel has made the Middle East a central focus of German foreign policy.

Germany currently heads the naval part of the United Nations UNIFIL deployment in Lebanon, deploying ships off the country's coast to halt the smuggling of arms to the militant Hezbollah movement.

Wieczorek-Zeul visited Lebanon's neighbour, Syria, for three days at the end of August. During the trip she urged Damascus to support full sovereignty for Lebanon.