Report: Hollande Advises Lebanese against Dragging Lebanon to Situations that Harm Country
French President Francois Hollande stressed his country's keenness on Lebanon's stability and the importance of adhering to the Baabda Declaration, reported the daily An Nahar on Monday.
He added that the Lebanese people should avoid “reactions that may lead their country towards situations that do not benefit Lebanon.”
He made his remarks while meeting President Michel Suleiman in Nice, France over the weekend.
The discussions tackled the regional situation, bilateral ties, and the military aid presented by France to Lebanon.
Suleiman had urged Hollande to speed up the process of properly equipping the Lebanese army, highlighting the pivotal role it could play given the critical situation in Lebanon and the region, reported An Nahar.
Informed sources told al-Joumhouria daily Monday that the talks with the French president were positive, especially after Suleiman received word that France will play a major role during the conference on Syrian refugees in Lebanon scheduled for September 25 on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.
Tensions have been high in the region over the possibility of a U.S.-led strike against Syria over its regime's alleged chemical attack on August 21.
Syrian refugees have been pouring into Lebanon since the eruption of the uprising in their country in March 2011.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said that more than two million Syrians have now fled their war-ravaged country.
France in cooperation with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has called for an international conference on the sidelines of the the General Assembly meeting in New York to establish a fund for the refugees.
The conference is expected to discuss ways to provide the necessary assistance to Lebanon to help it confront the rising number of the displaced.
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