A group of European Parliament members Tuesday blamed Lebanon's sectarian political system for its worsening economic and political crisis after a three-day visit to the country.

The five MEPs, who represented the Socialists and Democrats voting bloc within the EU Parliament, said that they would request an urgent debate be held at the Parliament's next plenary session in Strasbourg, to discuss the difficulties facing Lebanon.

In a statement the bloc's Vice President Pedro Marques said, "It's hard to describe the terrible conditions Lebanese people have been forced to live in.

"Thousands have lost their jobs. Hyperinflation. Scarcity of food. Lack of medicine. People obliged to queue for hours for fuel. Water and electricity only a few hours a day, which makes fundamental services such as hospitals impossible to manage."

Marques continued that "there is a clear culprit for all of this: The sectarian political system that has been shown to be the primary problem for the future of this country.

"In a country where stability means the confirmation of the unacceptable status quo, the Lebanese people deserve a real paradigm change. The current power sharing system, the many abuses and widespread corruption must end."

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