French President pledges support for Lebanese army
Beirut: Visiting French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed on Friday France’s commitment to supporting the Lebanese army, announcing plans to establish a new training centre for Lebanese soldiers.
“France will establish a new centre to train 500 Lebanese soldiers,” Macron said during a joint press conference at Baabda Palace with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Macron highlighted France’s support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and its leadership’s efforts to ensure the country’s full control over its territory.
He expressed France’s aspiration for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and for all weapons to be under the exclusive control of the Lebanese army, Xinhua news agency reported.
“We will work to mobilize the international community to assist Lebanon across various sectors,” Macron added.
For his part, Aoun said, “The world’s confidence in Lebanon must also be fully restored because the true and authentic Lebanon has returned.”
Macron arrived in Beirut on Friday for an official visit.
Upon his arrival, Macron also met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati to discuss potential support initiatives for Lebanon.
Mikati said that Macron expressed his willingness to support Lebanon through a trust fund that the Lebanese government plans to establish in collaboration with the World Bank to aid in the reconstruction of southern Lebanon.
Last November, France had backed the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its issuing of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif.
French foreign ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said that the Court is a “guarantee of international stability” and its orders must be exercised “in all situations.”
“The fight against impunity is our priority,” Lemoine told reporters, adding that France will continue to support the action of the ICC.
He also said that France, the host country of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is extremely concerned about the cultural heritages in Gaza and Lebanon which have been destroyed during the wars by Israel.