During the meeting, developments in the political and field situations in Lebanon and the region were discussed in light of Israel’s continued aggression against the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, in addition to bilateral relations between Lebanon and France and the renewal of the UNIFIL forces operating in southern Lebanon for a new period, according to the National News Agency in Lebanon.
At the beginning of the meeting, Nabih Berri thanked France and its President Emmanuel Macron for their support and concern for Lebanon, noting France’s historic participation with a number of international emergency forces.
Berri reiterated “Lebanon’s commitment to the rules of engagement and its right to self-defense in the face of Israeli aggression, which did not spare civilians, media personnel, or paramedics in its attacks, not to mention its use of internationally prohibited weapons, especially phosphorous shells, in agricultural areas and forested areas.”
The Lebanese Parliament Speaker stressed his country’s keenness on “the necessity of extending the mandate of the international emergency forces operating in southern Lebanon for a new term in accordance with the French project and the text of UN Resolution No. 1701.”
For his part, Minister Sigourney said after the meeting: “I would like to thank President Nabih Berri for receiving me and the accompanying delegation, and my message is simple, which is to emphasize France’s support for Lebanon in these worrying times in the regional situation.”
The French Foreign Minister continued: “What matters to us is working to reduce the escalation. This is the message I conveyed to the Lebanese authorities and the same message I will convey to the rest of the countries in the region. We hope that the situation will calm down in these very sensitive times.”
He added: “France supports the work of UNIFIL forces. We have worked and are working within the framework of talks to ensure the renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate for the next 12 months, and this is the work we are currently working towards in the United Nations.”
Sigourney concluded by saying: “Our message is a message of support, solidarity and responsibility, and France will continue to support Lebanon in order to achieve peace in the region. What matters to us before anything else is a ceasefire in Gaza, and this is the basic and necessary element that is indispensable if we want to seek peace in the region.”
Sigourney’s visit to Lebanon comes at a time when there is a state of anticipation and fear of the expansion of the conflict between Iran and the Lebanese factions on the one hand, and Israel on the other, and its transformation into a comprehensive war, following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in the capital, Tehran, and the assassination of the leader Fouad Shukr in an Israeli raid on a residential building in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The Lebanese factions and Iran vowed to respond to the assassinations, amid diplomatic mediations calling for self-restraint and not to be dragged into a regional war.
Source: “National News Agency” + RT
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2024-08-17 04:53:30