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3. EU Says 'Race Against Time' to Avoid Lebanon 'Conflagration'

Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, stated on Friday that the international community must accelerate efforts to find a political solution to end the fighting in Lebanon and prevent a potential "conflagration."

In a statement released following a conference on aid for Lebanon in France, Borrell emphasized that the first necessary step is a "ceasefire" between Israel and Hezbollah.

"We are currently in a race against time between the potential initiation of a political process in Lebanon and a generalized conflagration with incalculable consequences," Borrell remarked.

"Without a suspension of hostilities, nothing will be achievable," he added. Borrell highlighted that once fighting ceases, Lebanon must hold long-overdue presidential elections "as soon as possible."

He asserted that the Lebanese Armed Forces must become the "only military force present" in the southern region of the country, where Israel is currently engaged in ground battles with Hezbollah.

Furthermore, he called for the strengthening of the UN peacekeeping mission in the area. Despite international calls to end the fighting, efforts to halt the violence in the region have so far been unsuccessful.

The Paris conference on aid for conflict-stricken Lebanon raised approximately $800 million for humanitarian assistance but resulted in little diplomatic progress.

With AFP.