Macron to travel to Lebanon to help form government
Photo: Emmanuel Macron, President of France (Getty Images)
French President Emmanuel Macron will pay his first visit to Lebanon since 2020. In this country, he will help speed up the formation of a government that could launch a series of reforms, Reuters reports.
The French leader will visit Beirut on Friday.
In the wake of the Paris-Washington mediated ceasefire last November between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, France, the United States, and Saudi Arabia have played a key role in helping Lebanon out of the political corner.
The country recently elected a new president and a new prime minister.
Along with Macron, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot will also visit Lebanon. According to the Foreign Minister, in three months, Paris has helped Lebanon move from escalation to recovery and open a new page of hope.
“With popular support, a broad internal consensus and international backing, the new Lebanese executive can act decisively to restore state sovereignty and rebuild Lebanon,” the French official added.
A source close to Macron told Reuters that the purpose of the trip was to emphasize the importance of Lebanon's sovereignty, to help implement structural economic reforms that would restore the international community's confidence and ensure that there is a unified government capable of driving change.
Before the visit, the French President also held talks with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the situation in Lebanon.
French officials expressed optimism that Riyadh would provide funding and equipment to strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The Lebanese army is currently seeking to strengthen the entire country and take control of the southern regions as part of a 60-day truce plan, according to which Israeli troops are to be withdrawn from Lebanon by the end of January.
In early December last year, French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a strategic partnership agreement aimed at deepening bilateral ties between the two countries and de-escalating the conflict in the Middle East, including Lebanon.
The Lebanese also called for presidential elections in Lebanon. The initiative came against the backdrop of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
Recently, Lebanon's parliament elected a new president, the country's army commander Joseph Aoun, who is supported by the United States.
