Charbel Appeals for All-Party Talks to Ward Off Dangers

Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said Sunday that rival Lebanese politicians should hold dialogue to ward off the dangers threatening Lebanon.

“The dangers that are facing Lebanon compel us to sit at the dialogue table to discuss ways to keep the country at a distance from them,” Charbel said at Charles de Gaulle airport north of Paris.

He spoke at the end of his official visit to France and ahead of boarding his plane to Beirut.

The officials should discuss ways “to overcome the current stage with the least damage and break the ice through understanding to salvage Lebanon as a state and entity,” he said.

Charbel warned that Lebanon would slide into more chaos if the officials do not gather at the dialogue table.

“Lebanon is more than any other time in need for unity among all its political and confessional factions,” he said.

“There should be a renewal of trust to come out of the political and security chaos,” the caretaker minister added.

Charbel quoted his French counterpart Manuel Valls as saying that Paris was committed to the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon, and the unity of its territories and its people.

Paris is exerting strong efforts to steer Lebanon clear of the repercussions of the regional crises, he said.

Valls stressed to him that Paris was committed to supporting Lebanon's security institutions to help them combat terrorism.