The political crisis in Lebanon and the explosive situation in southern Lebanon, as well as the risk of conflagration in the region, were the focus of French President Emmanuel Macron’s meeting with Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Elysée Palace on Friday. The meeting lasted nearly an hour, after which they were joined by the Commander-in-Chief of the Lebanese Army and Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces, Generals Joseph Aoun and Thierry Burkhardt.
Informed sources quoted by the Markazia agency pointed out that this “positive” meeting was a follow-up to the Rome meeting of March 1 on international aid for the Lebanese Army.
The Army’s needs were thus assessed, as they had been in the Italian capital, which will enable the regular forces to implement Security Council Resolution 1701 when the time comes.
In Rome, General Aoun “had submitted a study on the logistical and material needs of the troop in light of the challenges it faces” due to the crises that have persisted in Lebanon since 2019.
Following this meeting, “the commanders of the French and Italian armies drew up an aid plan for the regular Lebanese forces,” which should be studied by a joint commission. But for this aid to materialize, a ceasefire must first be established in southern Lebanon, and a political decision must be taken to deploy the Army in the southern part of the country, again according to the same sources.
The discussions at the Elysée Palace were attended by the latter’s political advisor, Boutros Assaker; President Macron’s advisor on Middle East affairs, Claire Legendre; the director of the Africa and Middle East department at the Quai D’Orsay, Anne Grillo (former French ambassador to Lebanon); and the current French ambassador to Beirut, Hervé Magro.
As a reminder, France is an inalienable historical supporter of Lebanon and its Army. Paris has provided material and financial assistance to the Lebanese Army, with an allocation of 5,750,000 euros for the years 2021 to 2023.
