Suleiman to Sarkozy: Lebanon is Keen on Safety of UNIFIL Members

President Michel Suleiman cabled his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday stressing Lebanon’s keenness on the safety of UNIFIL troops following the roadside bombing that targeted a French patrol near the southern port city of Sidon.

In his cable, Suleiman “condemned the attack on the French unit and reiterated Lebanon’s keenness on the safety of UNIFIL members.”

Also Wednesday, Suleiman asked security agencies to intensify efforts to find the suspects of Tuesday’s bombing and bring them to justice.

“Repeated attacks do not serve Lebanon and its image abroad,” the president said. “The preservation of the security stability in the country is the right and necessary foundation to launch development.”

“It is forbidden to tamper with security under any circumstance,” he said, denouncing any attack against “friendly countries that have sent soldiers to help the Lebanese army in preserving security and stability in the south and implementing international resolutions, particularly resolution 1701 that the Israeli enemy continues to violate.”

Suleiman also tasked Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil with attending the transportation of the injured soldiers to Paris at Beirut airport.