Finnish President, Suleiman Inspect UNIFIL: Army Will Receive All Types of Weapons
President Michel Suleiman stressed on Wednesday that the capabilities of the Lebanese army should be fortified, pointing out that the military can receive any type of weapons it needs.
“There are no banned arms,” Suleiman said after a short visit to the Headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the southern town of Naqoura accompanied by his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto.
Suleiman called for the adoption of a defense strategy that enables the country to benefit from the resistance and neutralize it from all the political rows locally.
Lebanese political leaders were discussing the defense strategy during a national dialogue session ahead of its suspension in September 2012.
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.
Suleiman also called for enabling the army to fully carry out its responsibilities with the support of the resistance “whenever needed.”
“The political cover for the army is fully granted without any reservations,” Suleiman said.
Concerning the ongoing conflict in the neighboring country Syria, the president pointed out that the war had a tremendous impact on Lebanon, topped by the huge influx of Syrian refugees.
Lebanon, with a population of four million, is hosting around 900,000 registered Syrian refugees, with estimates of more than a million in the country, including those not yet registered with the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.
On the presidential elections, Suleiman stressed that “it will happen no matter what.”
Suleiman’s tenure ends in May 2014, but the constitutional period to elect a new head of state begins on March 25, two months prior to the expiration of Suleiman’s mandate.
Earlier, media reports said that the Finnish President arrived in Lebanon for talks with senior officials to discuss the bilateral cooperation and regional developments.
Soon after his arrival, Niinisto headed to Tyre to inspect the Finnish contingent operating within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the state-run National News Agency reported.
The Finnish President arrived at the UNIFIL Headquarters in the southern town of Naqoura accompanied by President Michel Suleiman aboard a helicopter.
Niinisto is expected to tackle the two countries bilateral ties and the situation in the region and in Lebanon amid the huge influx of Syrian refugees.
The Finnish President will also discuss the Syrian conflict and its impact on Lebanon, especially concerning the alarming influx of Syrian refugees into its territories.
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