Salam Heads to Paris Wednesday for Talks with Hollande

Prime Minister Tammam Salam is scheduled to travel to the French capital Paris next week where he will meet with President Francois Hollande and a number of officials, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

It said that the premier will discuss with the French president the three-billion dollar grant to the army and implementing it on the ground “as soon as possible through providing weapons to the army.”

The talks will also address France's role in persuading the international community to present development projects to Lebanon as part of efforts to tackle the burden of Syrian refugees.

In addition, Salam will address France’s role, as well as that of Iran, in speeding up solutions to electing a new president.

“The persistence of the vacuum will subject Lebanon to several dangers that may eventually lead to the collapse of the state,” said the daily.

Salam is expected to travel to Paris on Wednesday and return to Lebanon on Saturday.

Lebanon has been without a president since May when the term of Michel Suleiman ended.

Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the elections.

In early November, France and Saudi Arabia inked in Riyadh a deal to provide the Lebanese army with $3 billion worth of French weapons, with Riyadh footing the bill.

The Lebanese army will be able to purchase French weapons under the deal at the beginning of 2015.

M.T.