French Defense Minister Florence Parly visited Lebanese officials to renew her country’s readiness to boost the capabilities of the Lebanese army. Sources in the Lebanese Defense Ministry revealed that the visit would activate a loan to buy helicopters and boats to protect the Lebanese maritime economic zone.
President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri held separate meetings on Tuesday with the French minister, who was leading a delegation of military officials, the National News Agency reported.
Aoun hailed the “brethren relations between Lebanon and France,” stressing eagerness on “promoting them at various levels mainly at the level of military aid provided by France to the Lebanese Armed Forces, and its participation in the UNIFIL peacekeeping forces in south Lebanon.”
During the meeting, which was attended by Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab, Aoun affirmed Lebanon’s commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, pointing out that the situation was stable on the southern Lebanese border, at a time when contacts continue to begin negotiations on demarcation of the maritime border through a US mediation and in cooperation with the United Nations.
Meanwhile, sources in the defense ministry told Asharq Al-Awsat that Parly discussed with Lebanese officials details of a loan approved in the Rome 2 Conference, which aims to strengthen the capabilities of the Lebanese air and naval forces, and which is estimated at 400 million Euros.
