France, Lebanon Reach Agreement over Arms Deal after Tough Negotiations
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Negotiations between Lebanon and France over an arms deal reached a settlement after difficult discussions concerning the prices, which exceeded what was expected, local newspapers reported on Tuesday.
“French authorities placed tough financial conditions and prices for the arms beyond the expectation,” a source said in comments published in As Safir.
The source pointed out that the conditions set by France don't comply with its pledges to facilitate the matter.
“France didn't facilitate the negotiations,” a source told the newspaper.
A French source said that authorities will hand over the arms to Lebanon in a period of three to six months.
The newspaper reported that Saudi Arabia are overseeing the negotiations between the two countries as they are insisting that Lebanon should attain developed monitoring and surveillance equipment to control its border with Syria.
A diplomatic source told An Nahar newspaper that “some observers rejected the deal and are seeking to defame it by stating fabricated statements.”
President Michel Suleiman revealed in late December that Saudi Arabia has decided to donate $3 billion with the aim of purchasing French weapons for the Lebanese army as soon as possible.
France had reportedly proposed selling Lebanon used equipment despite a pledge by French army chief-of-staff Edouard Guillaud during talks with Army Chief General Jean Qahwaji in Saudi Arabia to provide the army with all its needs.
Italy is set to host in March a conference that aims at fortifying the capabilities of Lebanese Armed Forces and easing the Syrian refugees crisis.
The conference will be held on two levels – military commanders of several countries, and foreign and defense ministers of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council in addition to Italy, Germany and Spain.
04 March 2014, 08:47
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"said in comments published in As Safir."/ "A diplomatic source told An Nahar newspaper"... i think you don't read
04 March 2014, 17:42
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I just heard the latest rumor, reported in Rumor Digest, quoted in My Weekly Rumor, as reported by Rumor Radio.
It is that the constitutional problems of Lebanon will shortly be solved, as it has been proposed to translate the Constitution from French into Arabic. Apparently there was a misprint in the original text whereby the Muslim majority, including Shiites who by themselves are the majority of the population, were limited to half the seats in Parliament. Rumors in Paris suggest this was a simple honest oversight by the previous French Governor-General, Napoleon Bonaparte, who reportedly could not find Lebanon on his map, possibly because it was obscured by spilled gravy.
04 March 2014, 09:24
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because if they were to buy the weapons from say the US, UK, or Germany you would have said why couldn't they buy them from France! You are just a poster with no purpose or value.
04 March 2014, 09:51
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Karim, you and the rest of your buddies comment about how the LAF needs to get strong and as soon as it gets a little help you all start spewing BS and hidden plots. Iran spends billions on arming their militia but that you are OK with right!
04 March 2014, 10:31
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What is the purpose of your comments. The article says an agreement has been reached. End of story
04 March 2014, 13:01
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قال أمين مجلس صيانة الدستور الإيراني، أحمد جنتي، إنه "تم التمهيد لظهور المهدي المنتظر ويجب أن نستعد للامتثال إلى أوامره".
وأضاف جنتي خلال اجتماع حكومي أوردته وكالة "إيسنا" يوم الاثنين "المهدي لن يتخلى عن أصدقائه وأنصاره، يجب أن ننتظر ظهوره".
04 March 2014, 10:50
25
Great news, thanks for the update. Imagine a STRONG capable national army with 100,000 soldiers taking control. Makes me gitty. I hope we see the day soon.
04 March 2014, 10:54
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I would have appreciated the details, or none were said aloud, at least say so. This is an important matter we should know as much as possible about.
Are we getting used or new weapons? Outdated stuff or recent? How much? Vehichles? Small arms, medium, or heavy? Come ooooooooooon!!
04 March 2014, 12:05
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No deal is a good deal, in Lebanon. Price of silence on Majd.almajd was 3 Billion for lebanese army. So very little of the 3 bln will get to the LAF. The HA/ Syrian/ Israeli/ Iranian/ US/ KSA/ do NOT want to arm the LAF with weapons. Only the apolitic lebanese people want the LAF to be armed. Magazines around the world cite that every Lebanese dignitary in KSA in December sold his country for 50 million dollars each, the French president and delegation as well got 50/each. The amount already lost 1/3 before passing through Lebanon. The lebanese govt should approve the donation by law (article: 52), but no govt still. The French know that nearly nothing will arrive to France, so they are very skeptic and weary. But someone is happy with the deal, so much that they captured Jamal Daftardar, Majd lieutenant, three weeks after? How much billions for this one?
04 March 2014, 12:42
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Will the armed group lay down arms & integrate into LAF?
Or will there be another excuse?
04 March 2014, 12:49
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thurst woww what conspiracy theory....so twisted, you are living in your own bubble, 3 bb for silence? then you mokawama should pay lebanese army trillion for silence for all crimes they did, killing Lebanese leader, Lebanese economy and brainwash guys like you. you guys have no shame , pure zombis with no logic, you want LEbanon to cancel 3 BB donation for LAF, and you call yourselves Lebanese?
04 March 2014, 19:23
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Southern, anyone will try to sell us not only used weapons but damaged ones too. But this time the difference lays in the hands of two good men, two real gentlemen, two decent folks, the first is President Suleiman, the second is General Qahwaji, so no one will try his luck selling us used stuff for as long as these two gents are handling this situation. Then the other point to consider, it is the KSA that is financing this deal, and from what we know, they will want a full audit and checklist to ascertain fully that the material they're purchasing is brand new. Then the main tenet of this whole deal rests on the fact that this time this deal is not being done via Amin Gemayel, so you got my drift bro? Just a clean deal, that simple.
04 March 2014, 19:27
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Maybe ya Southern what you may not know is this, sorry with all my respects to you: that the KSA now knows the best way to kill off the so-called resistance is through strengthening the LAF and not by using the Takfiris to fight you in Syria. So the deal is on, maybe not for the love of ours eyes, but certainly now after so many years they've come to terms, that only the Lebanese State with a strong Army can secure Lebanon and possibly the region too, a lesson well learned now it seems. A strong army means, no more so called resistance ideology, not for Palestine, not for Iran, or Syria, or Yemen, nothing, just that small country we all love, Lebanon, wou bass.
04 March 2014, 19:47
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This is a joke, Saudi government giving France money to give the LAF used broken equipment? Why not buy it ourselves and get some new items and weaponry? Why depend on Saudi??
04 March 2014, 21:22
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there's 2 parts in the deal : saudi financial aid, french diplomatic support at security council if needed...
