PM Rodríguez Zapatero, and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, agree to push bilateral relations

Zapatero, who last Friday and had a brief interview with Suleiman before visiting Spanish troops deployed in Lebanon, met with him in the Moncloa Palace, as part of the first state visit to the country

PM Rodríguez Zapatero, and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, agree to push bilateral relations
The chief executive, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, have reaffirmed their commitment to peace in the Middle East and agreed to push bilateral relations to promote tourism between the two countries and cooperate in energy diversification.

Zapatero, who last Friday and had a brief interview with Suleiman before visiting Spanish troops deployed in Lebanon, met with him in the Moncloa Palace, as part of the first state visit to the country.

At that meeting, the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism and Turespaña signed an agreement to exchange experience and improve training in the tourism sector, and the two presidents have agreed to reopen the direct route with Iberia linking Madrid and Beirut.

In a brief joint press conference, Zapatero stressed the interest to cooperate in the energy sector and agreed with Suleiman there is the potential for collaboration in power, but today there has been no concrete agreement. Much of his appearance has been focused on the stalled Middle East peace process.

The prime minister has secured the support of Spain and the EU to the UN resolutions, including those that affect Lebanon, and has pledged to find a solution addressing all the problems, also of Palestinian refugees in the country. It is estimated that in his country some 400,000 Palestinians live in twelve refugee camps established after Israel's creation in 1948.

Zapatero, after mentioning the 1,100 Spanish troops deployed in southern Lebanon, has underlined his support for the territorial integrity and stability of Lebanon and backing reconstruction and development. He assured that "the level of EU engagement with the peace process is up" and, as he did last week, said that in his EU Presidency in the first half of 2010 there will be two goals: working with Barack Obama's administration to relaunch dialogue and advance the Mediterranean as a zone of coexistence and progress.

The Lebanese President thanked Zapatero for the work of Spanish troops in his country and the Spanish Government's support in the fight against terrorism. On the possibility of a summit between Spain and Arab countries this fall to advance the peace process, as announced by Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, who visited Egypt in April, Suleiman has been willing to support any initiative that brings a "just, comprehensive and permanent" peace. The two presidents also signed a memorandum of understanding to create a stable political consultation mechanism



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