Paoli Lays Wreath at al-Hasan's Grave
French Ambassador to Lebanon Patrice Paoli paid respect to slain Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Wissam al-Hasan on Monday by laying a wreath at his grave upon the request of President Francois Hollande.
Hollande's visit to Beirut on Sunday was aimed at “expressing solidarity with Lebanon and honoring a great Lebanese, a man who devoted his life to his nation, to search for the truth and protect all the Lebanese,” Paoli said after he laid the wreath at al-Hasan's tomb at al-Amin mosque in downtown Beirut.
The French president “tasked me with carrying out this mission on his behalf,” Paoli said.
Al-Hasan, who was killed in a car bomb explosion in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district on Oct. 19, was buried near former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Holland sought through his visit to Lebanon on his first trip to the Middle East to stress his “solidarity and great friendship with Lebanon and all the Lebanese in these difficult circumstances,” the diplomat told reporters.
The French president made a three-hour trip to Beirut on Sunday during which he held talks with his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman.
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