Bou Habib Engages with Spanish Counterpart on Lebanon’s Crisis and UN Developments.

Beirut: Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Dr. Abdullah Bou Habib, on Tuesday received a phone call from his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, during which they discussed the situation in Lebanon and the outcomes of the joint Arab and Islamic summit recently held in Riyadh. Minister Bou Habib hailed Spain's great support for Lebanon and Arab causes, and reiterated the necessity of reaching a ceasefire and demarcating the borders between Lebanon and Israel as a prelude to resolving the conflict and restoring calm. According to National News Agency - Lebanon, Minister Albares reaffirmed Spain's support for Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national army, and expressed Spain's readiness "to provide training for Lebanese army personnel and assist in the reconstruction of what was destroyed by the Israeli aggression." He reiterated Spain's concern regarding the repeated Israeli targeting of international forces operating in Lebanon and stressed his country's commitment to "maintaining its contingent within the UNIFIL, based on its belief in the importance of the presence of peacekeeping forces on the ground in southern Lebanon." On the humanitarian front, the Spanish Minister announced that "his country will provide an additional financial aid to Lebanon worth 500 thousand euros to meet Lebanon's humanitarian needs." On the other hand, Minister Bou Habib received in his office, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, with whom he discussed the latest developments regarding the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, and the ongoing efforts "to reach a ceasefire and ensure the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in all its provisions."