UN. urges help for Lebanon, EU pledges more aid

BRUSSELS, Jan 24 (Reuters) The United Nations called today for international assistance to help restore stability in Lebanon, and the European Commission pledged nearly 400 million euros of extra aid to the country.

At a conference in Paris tomorrow, Lebanon hopes for political backing from its foreign allies and up to 5 billion dollar in assistance to help ease the burden of a 40.5 billion dollar public debt -- equal to 180 per cent of gross domestic product.

The Western-backed government also wants financial aid to help cover the costs of the July-August war between Hezbollah and Israel, which crippled the economy.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will take part in the Paris conference, called Lebanon ''one of the most important, serious areas to which the international community needs to pay attention and cooperate''.

He told a news conference after talks with EU leaders in Brussels that the international community needed to help the government ''restore political and social and economic stability''.

The EU executive said it would pledge nearly 400 million euros more in grants and loans to bring to 500 million euros the total it had provided to Lebanon since last summer.

The additional funds will be for the period until 2010 and will cover not only immediate post-war reconstruction, but also assistance for a longer-term recovery through support for political and economic reforms.

''SIGNAL OF COMMITMENT'' ''This is our signal of commitment to Lebanon and to the peace process in the W Asia,'' European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told a joint news conference with Ban.

''Now it is time to move ahead and to tackle the political and economic reforms necessary,'' Barroso said in a statement.

''The reform agenda that the Lebanese government has designed is an important step and I look forward to our discussions tomorrow on how the international community can best support the Lebanese people in pursuing their goals.'' EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said after talks with Ban that he was saddened by the violence in Lebanon on Tuesday, which came at a time when all sides should work together to secure as much international support as possible.

He said he expected the Paris meeting to pledge not only aid but also political support for Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Siniora left for Paris today, a day after protests against his government shut down much of Lebanon and sparked its worst unrest since the 1975-1990 civil war. Three people were killed and 176 wounded.

EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner called for restraint.

''Money alone is not the key to success,'' she said in a statement. ''Long-term recovery of Lebanon will require a number of important reforms that can only be achieved with national consensus on the reform agenda.'' The United States has promised substantial assistance to Lebanon at the conference. It has accused Hezbollah of trying to launch a coup against Siniora's cabinet, which came to office after the withdrawal of Syrian troops in 2005.

REUTERS SSC ND2010