Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met visiting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Saturday, saying he would welcome any effort to prevent a security vacuum in the south if UN peacekeepers withdraw as planned at the end of the year.
France and Italy announced in June that they intended to establish a multinational force following the end of UNIFIL’s mission.
In a statement, Aoun reiterated Lebanon’s desire to extend UNIFIL’s mandate, but added, “if this proves impossible, Lebanon welcomes any arrangement that ensures an international presence in the south, prevents a vacuum, and avoids placing the Lebanese army in direct contact with the Israeli army”. Before Barrot’s arrival in Beirut, the French foreign ministry said France was “ready to fully play its part” in preventing a security vacuum and supporting the Lebanese army’s redeployment to the south. He said a Lebanese military delegation would take part in a meeting with Israeli and US representatives in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday with the aim of “putting Lebanon’s demands for an end to Israeli escalation on the table”.
During their visit, the French delegation is scheduled to meet with several Lebanese officials, including army chief Rodolphe Haykal, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Hezbollah-allied Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
