Brussels, 11/04/2006 (Agence Europe) - At the end of the first session of the EU/Lebanon Association Council on 11 April in Luxembourg, the Austrian Presidency and the Lebanese delegation confirmed in a declaration that this “a new era” leads to “a further deepening of the existing political economic, cultural and social ties”. The two parties stress that the Association Agreement provided “an effective framework for regular political dialogue based on shared values” and that this first Association Council had facilitated a “constructive and rich political dialogue” on economic and social cooperation between cultures and prospects for a “new phase of intense cooperation”. The joint declaration stressed that Lebanon is committed to “an ambitious reform programme to further strengthen its democratic system and modernise its economy” and the agreement would bring a significant contribution to its reform endeavour.