Lebanonupdated 57m ago2 min read
Emmanuel Macron Announces Conference to Support Lebanese Army, Secures Qatar LNG Supplies
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Macron announced a conference to support the Lebanese Army. France secured 2 terawatt-hours per month of LNG from Qatar.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Conference for Lebanon
French President Emmanuel Macron said France will hold a conference in the coming weeks to support the Lebanese army, and he said it would be pointless to organize it before Israel’s elections scheduled for October 27. Macron told reporters in Doha during his Gulf tour that France’s goal is Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability, and the disarmament of Hezbollah.
Macron said achieving that goal would first require the withdrawal of Israeli forces, accompanied by confidence-building measures and the reactivation of a coordination mechanism to oversee the withdrawal. Macron said the Lebanese army would bear primary responsibility for restoring the country’s sovereignty, and he said France was ready to contribute to these efforts along with Qatar.
UNIFIL and UN mandate
Macron said France is examining the issue of providing support to the Lebanese army, and he stressed France’s readiness to enable the army to regain sovereignty and disarm Hezbollah. Macron expressed regret over the decision to end the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and he said he would work, in coordination with Italy and other partners, to push for the deployment of an international force, provided it receives a UN mandate.
Macron said he would hold a conference to support the Lebanese Army after the Israeli legislative elections, and he said, “I think it is not useful to do this before the Israeli elections.” Macron said he was working to restore calm and stability to Lebanon and support the Lebanese Army, while calling for addressing issues that hinder stability, including the withdrawal of occupying forces from southern Lebanon.
Energy deals tied to stability
Macron announced that France secured the equivalent of 2 terawatt-hours of LNG per month during the winter, and he said the deal is “important for us and will allow us to move forward.” Macron said maritime transport costs have risen tenfold due to security risks and reduced insurance coverage for ships transiting the region, and Paris proposed creating a guarantee mechanism with major Gulf investment funds to encourage shipping and insurance companies to resume activity.
Macron warned that Israeli elections and the U.S. midterm elections could complicate the regional scene, and he called for intensified diplomatic efforts to prevent the war from resuming. Macron said the coming hours and days would carry an Iranian response regarding mediation, and he said his country has never stopped communicating with Washington and Tehran about the crisis in the region.