NEW YORK: The UN Security Council on Friday called on Lebanese political parties to distance themselves from external conflicts and instead focus on the urgent implementation of political and economic reforms that are needed to unlock international financial support and alleviate the “dire needs” of the Lebanese population.

Members of the council, the most important body within the UN, urged Lebanese parties to implement “a tangible policy of disassociation from any external conflicts as an important priority, as spelled out in previous declarations, in particular the 2012 Baabda Declaration.”

The Baabda Declaration was designed to underscore Lebanon’s neutral position with regard to events in the region.

The powerful Lebanese Shiite party Hezbollah, which serves as the strategic arm of the Iranian regime in the region, has been involved in the Syrian civil war, fighting alongside the Assad regime, and in Iran’s proxy wars in Yemen and Iraq.

Council members welcomed a meeting of the Lebanese cabinet that took place on Jan. 24 but urged the authorities to quickly implement necessary reforms, including the adoption of a budget for 2022 that reflects previous agreements with the International Monetary Fund.

Lebanon is in the midst of a devastating economic collapse. The world bank has described it as one of the top three worst crises the world has seen since 1850.

It is the result of years of a corrupt ruling elite that drained the country of resources and foreign aid for private gain.

The World Bank has many times expressed disbelief at the unwillingness of Lebanese authorities to initiate any political or economic reforms as their country slides into an economic abyss and its people are reeling as a result of a currency that is in free-fall and desperate shortages of fuel, food and medicine.

The Security Council said the population of the country is facing “dire needs and has expressed legitimate aspirations for reforms, elections and justice.”

Members also once again called for “a swift, independent, impartial, thorough and transparent investigation” into the devastating explosion at Beirut port on Aug. 4, 2020, which destroyed or damaged large parts of the city.

Said to be the third-biggest non-nuclear explosion in human history, the blast killed more than 200 civilians, injured thousands and caused billions of dollars of damage. It is believed to have been caused by large quantities of chemicals that had been improperly stored at the port for several years.

The investigation into the explosion has stalled amid a barrage of lawsuits against the presiding judge, filed by Lebanese politicians accused of negligence in the events leading up to the blast.

Hezbollah leads a campaign that has accused the judge of “bias,” and the party threatened to boycott any cabinet meetings until he is replaced. The allegations about the judge have been rejected by rights groups and the families of blast victims.

Members of the Security Council also reiterated on Friday the importance of holding “free, fair, transparent and inclusive elections as scheduled on May 15, 2022, ensuring the full, equal and meaningful participation of women as candidates and voters in the election.”

They called on the Lebanese government to enable the Supervisory Commission for Elections “to carry out its mandate, notably by providing it with adequate resources and initiating the process of nominating candidates.”

The council condemned a series of attacks against the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon in the past two months and called on Lebanese authorities to investigate them and bring the perpetrators to justice.

It reiterated the necessity for all parties in the country to ensure that UNIFIL personnel are able to move unhindered in safety and security.