Julian Brazier, British MP for Canterbury, is a long-term friend of Lebanon. His past visits have included a fact-finding mission during the terrible year 1990 and organizing a British Parliamentary delegation to a conference organized by the British-Middle Eastern Law Council in 1996.In a statement this morning he said:

"I am delighted to be standing today beside my good friend Dr. Muhammad Mugraby and Willem van Manen and his distinguishes legal colleagues from around the World. I am even more delighted that the ridiculous charges against Dr. Mugraby have been dropped. Lebanon has passed an important test in the eyes of the outside world.

"Those of us who love Lebanon were inspired to see the Cedar Revolution, indicating that the people of Lebanon were reasserting their sovereignty. The question, however was whether this represented reality or just another shift of image. The charges of defamation against Dr. Mugraby were a crucial test of this. First whether Freedom of Speech was upheld, second whether democratic institutions like the European Parliament were respected, third whether courageous lawyers like Muhammad could lawfully defend their clients and finally whether the Lebanese Army restricted its activities to its proper sphere.

"After a long, difficult road, the decision to abandon these charges shows that Lebanon has passed this test and has indeed taken an important step towards taking its true place among the democratic and free nations of the World."