(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) PARIS, Sept 26 (KUNA) -- France once again reiterated strong support for the stability, security, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon, which is seen here as a key factor in regional and European stability, a joint statement issued from the Elysee Palace noted early on Tuesday.
The joint statement, issued after a State visit by Lebanese President Michel Aoun, underscored the high level of cooperation between France and Lebanon on both a bilateral and regional level.
Addressing his Lebanese counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron noted the series of contacts he has had with Aoun but also with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in recent months.
"As a sign of the strength of the friendship between our two countries, I am delighted that this State visit, your State visit at the start of my mandate, is the first that I wanted to welcome here," Macron told Aoun.
Both men had already met in Beirut last January during Macron's election campaign that brought him to the French Presidency last May.
The regional situation and its impact on Lebanon's domestic front were high on the agenda for talks and France said it understood the security and refugee problems in Lebanon and would reinforce its support for Beirut to help in those areas.
"Lebanon, like France, is severely hit by terrorism and I want to praise the courage and abnegation shown by the Lebanese army in its fight against Jihadists from the so-called Islamic State (IS) at the border with Syria," Macron stated.
He underlined the high sacrifice over several years of the Lebanese army in this fight against terrorism.
"That's why France has decided to reinforce its support to Lebanon and meet the current needs of the Lebanese security forces, by sharing our experience and know-how in the fight against terrorism, for civil defence, demining, and through sending experts and through the opening of a regional school for humanitarian demining," the French leader added.
Macron said that in addition to French bilateral aid, he wanted to organize an international conference alongside Italy and the United Nations to "mobilize all of our partners...to support the Lebanese army." Contacts are already underway to hold this conference, Macron noted.
He also stressed that France would continue its commitment to Lebanese security through the UN forces (UNIFIL) deployed in south Lebanon, which have been on duty for eleven years "to preserve a precious peace on the border with Israel." "The objective for France is to counter threats that could compromise this peace by giving a capacity to the Lebanese army so that the government is fully capable to extent its authority over all its territory," Macron indicated.
France wants to see "a strong State" in Lebanon and Macron praised the efforts of President Aoun in this direction since he was elected.
This is necessary for national security but also to be able to handle the massive influx of "around one million" Syrian refugees who have fled the conflict in that country, he said.
"The burden being carried today by Lebanon is too heavy. The absence of a credible, political solution in Syria prevents the lasting return to their country of these refugees," Macron said, stressing that France wanted to work actively with Lebanon and the United Nations to alleviate this problem and he pointed out "the remarkable courage" of the Lebanese authorities and people in trying to accommodate the influx of refugees.
Macron promised to maintain France's commitment to helping Lebanon financially by offering Euros 100 million (USD 119 million) in grants over a three-year period until 2018.
But he said Paris wanted to do more and would be allocating a further Euros 19 million (USD 24 million) in development aid through grants and loans in 2017.
Moreover, the French leader said that he would work to organise an international "Investment Conference" to help boost Lebanon's economy "but with concrete results and not simply announcing amounts that already exist." (end) jk.mb
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.