Britain to increase investments in Lebanon: official

BEIRUT, March 6 (Xinhua) -- A British senior official said Wednesday that Britain will continue to provide Lebanon with 200 million U.S. dollars yearly despite Britain's listing of Hezbollah as terrorist group, the National News Agency reported.

"My country placed Hezbollah on the terrorist list because it is no longer able to distinguish between the group's military and political wings. But this does not mean that we will stop supporting Lebanon or the Lebanese," said Alistair Burt, British Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Burt said Britain is looking forward to increasing its investments in Lebanon.

"I hope to be able to sign right away bilateral trade agreements between our countries to send positive vibes to Lebanese and British companies will be encouraged to take similar measures," he said.

Britain will offer more funds to Lebanon once the new government starts with its promised reforms, he added.