Fabius to Arrive in Lebanon on Aug 16, Discussions to Focus on Syria
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon on a two-day official visit next Thursday to meet with senior Lebanese officials.
The FM will hold talks with President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Miqati and his counterpart Adnan Mansour.
The meetings are expected to focus on the Syrian turmoil, An Nahar newspaper reported.
Lebanon's ambassador to Paris Boutros Assaker will also attend the talks between the French FM and the Lebanese officials.
Fabius will arrive in Lebanon from Jordan before heading to Turkey, the daily said.
The FM, according to sources, will voice his fear from the spread of the Syrian crisis to the countries neighboring Syria.
The sources said that the FM will hail during his meetings with the Lebanese officials the decision taken by the Lebanese state to disassociate itself from the turmoil in Damascus to safeguard the country from the negative repercussions on its ties with the foreign and Arab states.
According to the daily, Fabius will not visit the Syrian refugees in the north or the Bekaa; however, he will voice his country’s irritation from the deportation of the 14 Syrians last week.
Lebanon deported the Syrians drawing severe criticism from Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat and human rights activists.
The General Security said the reasons for the expulsions were not political.
He will also stress the importance of the resumption of the national dialogue session which would guarantee the political and security stability in the country.
Suleiman postponed the dialogue last month after the opposition tied its participation to a government decision to provide security agencies with the telecom data to help them investigate assassination attempts against MP Butros Harb and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea.
The telecom data has since been handed over to the security apparatuses.
Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad’s announcement that the national defense strategy was not currently necessary because Lebanon was still in the liberation stage, was another reason for the March 14 alliance’s boycott of the last session on July 24.
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