Yesterday, I represented the European Union at the International Conference in support of the people and the sovereignty of Lebanon, in Paris. The situation in Lebanon is extremely grave and needs urgent and massive efforts to put an end to the military confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel, that is causing immense suffering to the civilian population and destroying the Lebanese social fabric.

The conference has been an important occasion for the international community to reinstate, in an extremely dangerous moment, its commitment to mobilize the urgent political and economic support to Lebanon.

For the EU, a solid and rapid path must be established, on the basis of seven indispensable steps.

The first is a ceasefire: without a suspension of hostilities, nothing will be possible. On this, it is necessary to establish accountability for IHL violations.

The second must be the organization, as soon as possible, of a presidential election that has been postponed for too long.

The third is to give substance to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the implementation of which has clearly been thwarted by interests outside of Lebanon. On this we also need to clearly recognize the responsibility borne by Hezbollah and by Iran.

The fourth is the restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty over its territory, requiring also the deployment of Lebanese Armed Forces throughout the country, and in the south, where they must become the only military force present. The EU has been supporting the Lebanese Forces through the European Peace Facility with a total of 21 million euros so far, and another 40 million euros are foreseen for next year.

The fifth step is to guarantee UNIFIL's presence in southern Lebanon by giving it a new, much more robust mandate.

Sixth step: it is imperative and urgent that we provide unconditional emergency humanitarian aid to the Lebanese people. The EU is playing its part and will continue to do so. We brought our humanitarian funding to address the consequences of the war in Lebanon to almost 80 million euros. In addition, early October, the European Commission announced further emergency support of 30 million euros for Lebanon.

Finally - seventh step - we must be prepared to grant a robust economic aid, once a new President of the Republic is elected.

We are currently engaged in a race against time between the possible start of a political process in Lebanon and a generalized conflagration with incalculable consequences.

The international community has the duty to do its utmost to contribute to bring back peace in Lebanon, on solid pillars that will ensure a long-term stability and sovereignty. We need to make choices and act accordingly, for the sake of the Lebanese people and the whole region.