President Hollande Says Election of President Lies in Hand of Lebanese, Promises Swift Military Aid Naharnet/April 16/16
French President Francois Hollande said during a visit to Beirut on Saturday that he was eager to make a third trip to Lebanon to meet with the country’s new head of state, calling for the swift election of a president. “I want to visit Beirut again when there is a president in Lebanon but the issue lies in the hand of Lebanese lawmakers … who should resolve the deadlock and elect a head of state,” said Hollande following talks with Speaker Nabih Berri. “France stands by Lebanon and is keen on consolidating security in Lebanon through military cooperation,” he said during a short press conference that he held with Berri. Hollande first visited Beirut in 2012.
The speaker said he discussed with Hollande military aid to Lebanon, the demarcation of the maritime border, terrorism and the regional tension. Following their meeting, the French president headed from the parliament in downtown Beirut’s Nejmeh Square to the nearby Grand Serail where he held talks with Prime Minister Tammam Salam. Salam said at a joint press conference that Hollande stressed to him “French keenness on Lebanon’s independence and sovereignty, and the functioning of state institutions which requires a president first.”The PM also hoped that Paris would “resume its efforts to push for the election of a new head of state.”Hollande praised Salam and said France stands by Lebanon due to their historic ties, geographic proximity and relations that were developed between the two countries one generation after the other.
He reiterated that a president should be swiftly elected and said France will provide “immediate” military assistance to Lebanon. The French defense minister will hold talks with his Lebanese counterpart to hear the demands of the Lebanese army, Hollande told reporters. Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian “will define with his Lebanese counterpart (Samir Moqbel) material resources to strengthen Lebanon’s ability to ensure its security”.
His pledge came a month after Saudi Arabia suspended a grant to finance $3 billion worth of French weaponry for Lebanon. He also revealed that French assistance to the Syrian refugees in Lebanon will reach 50 million euros this year and 100 million euros in the coming years. The official welcome ceremony for Hollande, who was on a two-day visit to Lebanon, was held at the parliament building since Lebanon has been without a head of state for almost two years.
Hollande carries a message that will urge the Lebanese and its regional partners to distance the country from regional turmoil, a senior French official at the Elysee Palace told the National News Agency. “Hollande carries with him a stern message that includes calling the Lebanese and the regional partners to take some steps in order to separate the situation in Lebanon from the regional tension particularly in the security files,” the unnamed source said on condition of anonymity. “The institutional crisis and the divisions over the regional situation have been weakening the state’s policies because of the presidential vacuum,” it added. Lebanon has been in a presidential vacuum since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. Efforts to fill the post have been thwarted over conflicts between the March 8 and March 14 camps. “Hollande will confirm France’s support for Lebanon which is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis,” said the source. Lebanon is home to more than a million Syrian refugees, the equivalent of a quarter the country’s population of 4.5 million. There also about 400,000 Palestinian refugees spread in 12 camps.
Visiting a Syrian refugee encampment is one of the French President’s plans where he will meet with a family from Syrian origin. He is set to meet another two families residing at the International Red Cross headquarters who are preparing papers for residency in France. The French president will reiterate that “his country assumes responsibility towards the refugees and countries neighboring Syria. Paris has announced in September 2015 that it will grant 100 million euros of additional aid to these countries, of which 40 million are for Lebanon,” the source said.
Hollande Lands in Beirut, to Urge Distancing Lebanon from Regional Tensions Naharnet/April 16/16/French President Francois Hollande arrived in Beirut on Saturday on the first leg of a Middle East tour that includes Egypt and Jordan.Hollande landed at the Rafik Hariri International Airport on a two-day visit on board a private jet and at the head of a delegation. The official welcome ceremony was held at the parliament building in Nejmeh Square since Lebanon has been without a head of state for almost two years. Hollande carries a message that will urge the Lebanese and its regional partners to distance the country from regional turmoil, a senior French official at the Elysee Palace told the National News Agency. “Hollande carries with him a stern message that includes calling the Lebanese and the regional partners to take some steps in order to separate the situation in Lebanon from the regional tension particularly in the security files,” the unnamed source said on condition of anonymity. “The institutional crisis and the divisions over the regional situation have been weakening the state’s policies because of the presidential vacuum,” it added. Lebanon has been in a presidential vacuum since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. Efforts to fill the post have been thwarted over conflicts between the March 8 and March 14 camps. “Hollande will confirm France’s support for Lebanon which is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis,” said the source. Lebanon is home to more than a million Syrian refugees, the equivalent of a quarter the country’s population of 4.5 million. There also about 400,000 Palestinian refugees spread in 12 camps. Visiting a Syrian refugee encampment is one of the French President’s plans where he will meet with a family from Syrian origin. He is set to meet another two families residing at the International Red Cross headquarters who are preparing papers for residency in France. The French president will reiterate that “his country assumes responsibility towards the refugees and countries neighboring Syria. Paris has announced in September 2015 that it will grant 100 million euros of additional aid to these countries, of which 40 million are for Lebanon,” the source said.
Hollande, Bassil convene at Pine Palace
Sat 16 Apr 2016/NNA – Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil met Saturday evening with French President Francois Hollande at the Pine Palace.
Sleiman to Hollande: For equipping Lebanese Army, Lebanon’s relations with friendly states declining due to presidential vacuum
Sat 16 Apr 2016/NNA – Former President Michel Sleiman appreciated Saturday French President Francois Hollande’s visit to Lebanon, while wishing that he had been officially welcomed by an elected President of the Republic and warning of “the ongoing presidential vacuum that is hindering Lebanon’s relations with friendly states and negatively impacting its image abroad.”
Sleiman’s words came in a special interview to “MTV” Channel, during which he called on Hollande “not to delay in manufacturing French weapons for equipping the Lebanese army via the frozen Saudi Arabian grant,” considering herein that the Saudi Kingdom shall resume its support to Lebanon. It is to note that Sleiman handed the French President, during their encounter at the Pine Palace earlier today, a copy of the letter addressed to UN Secretary General over “guaranteeing a safe and timely return of Syrian refugees to their homeland and compensating Lebanon for its incurred losses; in addition to demanding border demarcation and the deployment of international observers, while warning against the dangers of Syrian division and its repercussions on Lebanon.”
Hezbollah snubs French president during Lebanon visit
Gulf News/By Joseph A. Kechichian/April 16, 2016
Bold move points to an emboldened Iran, which no longer cares to entertain . Beirut: Although Mohammad Ra’ad, a leading Hezbollah parliamentarian, was expected to meet President Francois Hollande of France during the latter’s short visit to Lebanon on Saturday and Sunday, Al Jadeed television confirmed that the Hezbollah had turned down the meeting. Hezbollah could have been under pressure from Iran to rebuke the French president after Iran, itself, was rebuked at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit in Istanbul this weekend. The summit condemned Hezbollah’s “terrorist acts in Syria, Yemen, Bahrain and Kuwait”. The bold move points to an emboldened Iran, that no longer cared to entertain Arab and Western criticism against it. In the current situation, Iran seems adamant not to unravel the Lebanese Gordian knot that Hollande presumably wished to untangle.Hollande, who arrived in Beirut on Saturday, urged Lebanese officials — and presumably foreign parties that insisted on interfering in the small country’s internal affairs — to rise above differences and distance the presidency from several regional crises led by the civil war in Syria. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when Michel Sulaiman’s term expired. Since then, Lebanese parliament has gathered dozens of times, each time failing to establish quorum to carry out the vote. Officially, Hezbollah backed Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, who contended for the post against Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.After over a year of deadlock, Geagea, in a surprise move, announced his support for Aoun as president. Despite the agreement, Hezbollah MPs and their allies have failed to elect Aoun, despite the fact he would receive the majority of parliament votes. The inaction has led observers to believe that Hezbollah has orders from Iran not to elect a Lebanese president and maintain the status quo as a weakened state. On Friday, former Lebanese Speaker Hussain Hussaini floated the idea of voting for a caretaker president with a single-year term. Speaking at a news conference, Hussaini said that a caretaker president would help pave the way for a neutral government, force the adoption of a new electoral law, conduct parliamentary elections and then finally elect a head-of-state who would serve the normal six-year term. “There is no alternative to the Taif Agreement, and we do not demand a change in the system,” Hussaini added. The Taif Agreement, signed in 1989, ended Lebanon’s gruelling 15-year civil war and redistributed power among the country’s Christian, Sunni and Shiite sects. Hollande was also set to visit a Syrian refugee camp and meet those set to be repatriated to France. In September 2015, Paris pledged 100 million euros (Dh414.38 million) to aid several countries housing Syrian refugees. It allocated 40 million of that aid for Lebanon. Lebanon is home to over 2 million Syrian refugees which has put a strain on the tiny country’s resources.
