Lebanon08 September, 20262 min read
Gérald Darmanin Visits Beirut, Ties France’s Support to Lebanon’s Judicial Reform and Sovereignty
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
France backs Lebanon's reform drive, especially judicial independence, as essential to sovereignty and stability. Lebanon's abolition of the death penalty featured in talks, underscoring sovereignty alignment.
Darmanin’s Beirut mission
French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin’s visit to Beirut on September 6 and 7, 2026 moved from a judicial agenda into broader political and security discussions, including the situation in South Lebanon and Israeli attacks. Darmanin met President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, and also worked with Lebanese counterpart Adel Nassar. In Beirut, Darmanin said Paris was ready to support Lebanon in a “courageous reform process,” describing judicial independence as “absolutely part of that sovereignty and stability.”
The Lebanese presidency said Darmanin told Aoun that Lebanon can “always count on France,” while praising reforms including the recent abolition of the death penalty. The Anadolu report said the visit’s programme included meetings with the three main Lebanese institutional leaders and that the talks on September 7 confirmed a wider scope than a simple meeting between two departments.
Reform, accountability, and UNIFIL
During meetings in Beirut, Darmanin welcomed reforms initiated by the judiciary, including the abolition of the death penalty, and said Paris was ready to support Lebanon in the “courageous reform process” it has chosen. Aoun said the Justice Ministry was “following this matter in cooperation with military justice” regarding the case of French peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon, and he condemned Israeli attacks on the Nabatieh region over the past three days. Nassar addressed the August 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion investigation by Judge Tarek Bitar, saying it had been referred to the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Cassation for recommendations ahead of an indictment.
Nassar said, “We expect this stage to be completed during October, or by the end of September,” as the Lebanese presidency framed the judicial follow-up as part of the broader reform push. The Anadolu report added that Aoun reaffirmed his country’s commitment to renewing the mandate of UNIFIL, and said Beirut was working with Emmanuel Macron to facilitate renewal of the UN force's mandate.
France’s judicial priorities
Darmanin said his presence in Lebanon was intended to strengthen judicial cooperation between France and Lebanon in combating economic and financial crime and terrorism, while also supporting judicial reform plans amid “this difficult context.” The libnanews account said Darmanin’s speech associated judicial reforms with Lebanon’s sovereignty and highlighted the abolition of the death penalty, while also noting that France used the sectoral ministerial visit to maintain political dialogue with Lebanese power. In the same vein, libnanews reported that Darmanin’s announced programme included meetings with the three main Lebanese institutional leaders and that the situation in South Lebanon, Israeli attacks, the future of the international presence and support for the Lebanese army were added to the judicial agenda.
L'Orient-Le Jour reported that UNIFIL’s mandate expires next December and that one solution supported by Paris is to maintain an international force mobilized at the initiative of several countries. The L'Orient Today report said Darmanin also met with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at Ain al-Tineh, with discussions covering bilateral relations and judicial and legal cooperation.