Macron to visit Lebanon on Friday
French leader Emmanuel Macron is due to visit Lebanon on Friday, both countries said, in the second such trip by a head of state since Lebanon elected a president last week.
The office of new Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he met the French ambassador to Beirut on Tuesday to discuss preparations for Macron's visit.
Macron's office confirmed the date.
The trip comes after Lebanese lawmakers on Thursday elected Aoun president after more than two years of the position being vacant, under international pressure including from former colonial power France.
On Monday, Aoun named international judge and diplomat Nawaf Salam as prime minister, giving him the tricky task of forming a cabinet to pull the country out of a crippling, five-year-long economic crisis.
Macron's office said the French president planned to mark "the unwavering commitment of France to support Lebanon, its sovereignty and unity."
His trip follows a ceasefire in November between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which was announced by Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden.
Under that deal, there is a 60-day period during which the Lebanese Army is expected to deploy alongside U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws.
At the same time, Hezbollah is required to pull its forces north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure it has in the country's south.
A committee composed of Israeli, Lebanese, French and U.S. delegates, alongside a representative from the U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL, has been tasked with monitoring the implementation of the deal.
"The trip will also be the occasion to work on the implementation of the ceasefire... and to reiterate France's commitment towards this within UNIFIL," his office said.
Macron said on Monday that Salam's appointment represented "hope for change" in Lebanon.
Macron's office said he hoped Salam's government could be both "strong" and "represent all the diversity of the Lebanese people."
A Paris conference on funding for Lebanon in October raised around $800 million for humanitarian aid in the Mediterranean country.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides visited Lebanon on Friday.
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/310394 |