Sébastien Lecornu, visiting the United Arab Emirates, says that we must “support” the Lebanese army
The French Minister of the Armies, Sébastien Lecornu, on tour in the Gulf, declared on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi that he had discussed with his counterparts in the region the need to support the army in Lebanon, where Israel has been in open war against Hezbollah since end of September. “There is no better solution at this stage than to comply with Resolution 1701 [de l’Organisation des Nations unies] and support the Lebanese armed forces”Sébastien Lecornu told Agence France-Presse, as diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire intensify.
The UN resolution brought an end to the previous war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. It stipulates that only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL peacekeepers be deployed on Lebanon’s southern border, northern Lebanon bordering Israel. , withdrawing Hezbollah fighters to areas further north. , but also that of Israeli soldiers from Lebanese territory.
Before the United Arab Emirates, where he met with President Mohammed Ben Zayed and his minister responsible for Defense on Tuesday, Lecornu visited Qatar and Saudi Arabia. “I reiterated to each counterpart that we need them to support the Lebanese armed forces, both in the central role they play in social matters and in the security aspect”he added, believing that he “It will be necessary to imagine greater operational support in the military field”.
The French minister’s tour of the Gulf comes while the US president’s special envoy, Amos Hochstein, visited Lebanon on Tuesday to try to obtain a ceasefire agreement, based on the implementation of resolution 1701. “To enable the security of the border between Israel and Lebanon and strengthen Lebanon’s sovereignty, the armed forces must be truly armed! »said Mr. Lecornu.
