BEIRUT (Reuters) – France President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Lebanon on Friday for the first time since 2020 to help speed up the formation of a government that can quickly implement reforms and open the door to reconstruction.
Since a truce brokered by France and the United States in November between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, Paris has played a key role in helping break Lebanon’s political deadlock, along with its American and Saudi counterparts, that has now led to a new president and prime minister.
As a former French protectorate, Beirut has strong historical ties with Paris, but the relationship has been complicated in recent years.
Macron expended a great deal of political capital in 2020 in a failed effort to convince Lebanese actors to back political and financial reforms after the Beirut port explosion that killed more than 200 people and destroyed entire neighbourhoods.
“In three months, we have helped Lebanon move from escalation to recovery, and to open a new page of hope,” France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who will be in Lebanon with Macron, said in parliament during a debate on French Middle East policy.
“With popular support, a broad internal consensus and international backing, the new Lebanese executive can act decisively to restore state sovereignty and rebuild Lebanon.”
A French presidency source briefing reporters ahead of the trip said the objective was to underscore the importance of Lebanon’s sovereignty, help it towards structural economic reforms that would restore international confidence and ensure there is a united government able to push change.
Macron also spoke to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ahead of the visit. Paris has sought to get Riyadh to re-engage in Lebanon for months and the arrival of Joseph Aoun to the presidency and Nawaf Salam as prime minister has helped that process.
French officials said they were optimistic Saudi Arabia would provide financing and equipment to beef up the Lebanese Armed Forces. The armed forces aim to strengthen across the country and take control of southern Lebanon as part of the 60-day truce plan that should see Israeli troops withdraw by the end of January.
“Macron is trying to bounce back on a file that he followed with great attention, but on which he got quite badly tangled,” said a Lebanese diplomat.
(Reporting by John Irish and Elizabeth Pineau in Paris; Editing by Rod Nickel)
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