French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated French support on Friday for “what the Lebanese agree on,” insisting that France has no specific Lebanese presidential candidate in mind.
Macron’s words came after a three-hour meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Elysee Palace.
The Lebanese Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, later joined the meeting.
Macron asserted the priority of benefiting from international support and electing a new Lebanese president. He also promised to solve the Syrian refugee issue at the European Union level.
“France supports what the Lebanese agree on and doesn’t have any specific candidate. We and the Americans agree on this approach,” he said.
In addition, Macron reaffirmed French support for the Lebanese army and stressed the importance of stability and distancing Lebanon from the ongoing events in Gaza.
For his part, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati thanked France for its constant support and indicated that he “briefed President Macron on the dangers posed by the presence of Syrian refugees in huge numbers, and reiterated the demand that the international community fulfills its duties in this matter, which will yield negative repercussions on Europe specifically.”
“We hope that President Macron would raise the issue of declaring safe zones in Syria, which would facilitate the process of their return,” he added.
“I also thanked him for his continuous efforts to halt Israeli aggressions and support the army,” Mikati concluded.
