French president in Lebanon to meet the country's new leaders

French president in Lebanon to meet the country's new leaders
French President Emmanuel Macron visits Lebanon following new leadership. / bne IntelliNews
By Josiane Hajj Moussa for bnm Beirut bureau January 17, 2025

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Lebanon on January 17 to meet newly-elected President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam, offering support as the country seeks to open a new chapter after a devastating war with Israel and one of its worst economic crises.

Macron's visit, his third since the 2020 Beirut port explosion, began with a stroll through the lively neighbourhood of Gemmayzeh, where he posed for photos with locals and sampled coffee from street vendors. He later visited a central Beirut school, leading children by the hand for pictures amid excited cheers.

The French president met with UN peacekeeping mission chief Aroldo Lazaro and ceasefire monitoring committee heads to discuss the November 27 accord between Israel and Hezbollah. "Things are moving forward. The dynamic is positive," Macron told journalists after the talks.

Under the ceasefire terms, the Lebanese army must deploy alongside UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon as Israeli forces withdraw, while Hezbollah is required to pull its forces north of the Litani River and dismantle its military infrastructure in the south.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres revealed that peacekeepers had discovered over 100 Hezbollah weapons caches since the ceasefire began.

"The Lebanese army must have sole control over all weapons in the south," Macron emphasised, announcing an upcoming international conference in Paris to coordinate reconstruction efforts.

"You have ended the political vacuum that Lebanon experienced, and you are steering the country onto the path of recovery. We will mobilise the international community to assist Lebanon across all sectors," Macron said, reiterating France's commitment to supporting Lebanon's resurgence.

Macron noted that France will continue supporting Lebanon in extending its sovereignty over all territories, adding, "We will work to train the Lebanese army, and we will work with Lebanon to demarcate the borders at the Blue Line."

He pledged French collaboration with the World Bank on a trust fund for southern Lebanon's reconstruction.

Analysts say Hezbollah's weakening in the war with Israel, coupled with the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria, has enabled Lebanon's divided political class to elect Aoun and back Salam as premier.

"In Lebanon, we have gone in a matter of months from a situation of dramatic escalation to a situation of hope for possible redress," a French diplomatic source said.

France, which administered Lebanon for two decades after World War I, has maintained close relations with the country since its 1943 independence.

The UN Security Council has called for Lebanese leaders to rapidly form a new government, describing it as a "critical" step for regional stability.

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