Report: Finishing Touches of Saudi-French Deal to Be Complete on Tuesday
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Head of ODAS company Admiral Edouard Guillaud is scheduled to return to Lebanon next week in order to place the finishing touches of the Saudi-French arms deal for the army, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Sunday.
The French official is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon on Tuesday to make the final signatures of the deal ahead of its implementation.
The first shipment of French weapons, part of the $3 billion deal, is expected to arrive in Lebanon within the next two months.
Guillaud had signed on Monday with Army commander General Jean Qahwaji the first phase of the Saudi-French deal.
He later traveled to Saudi Arabia for the signatures of Saudi officials.
Regarding the kingdom's $1 billion grant to the army, a military official revealed to al-Mustaqbal that the first shipment of arms linked to the agreement will begin arriving in Lebanon within “two to three weeks.”
He expected helicopters and Cessna jets to be included in this shipment, he added according to the daily.
France and Saudi Arabia signed the arms agreement at the beginning of November for Paris to provide the Lebanese military with the $3 billion worth of weapons paid for by Riyadh.
The deal, which was first announced in December 2013, aims at boosting the army as it struggles to contain a rising tide of violence linked to the civil war in Syria.
In August, head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri unveiled Saudi Arabia's grant to the Lebanese army, which is aimed at strengthening security.
M.T.
21 December 2014, 09:32
54
First announced 12 months ago and still no weapons (other than the $1 billion KSA grant). Just send the weapons already.
21 December 2014, 09:48
74
nickjames, you are very naive if you still believe these weapons will arrive at all. Naharnet posted these articles every week for months now.
21 December 2014, 10:01
56
When the weapons will arrive you will need yo apologize publicly or better recognize that you had it wrong all the way or even better get lost for good....
21 December 2014, 10:08
83
If that day ever arrives, it will only be if Geagea becomes President. Which will never happen.
21 December 2014, 17:52
54
"He expected helicopters and Cessna jets to be included in this shipment"
cessna jets... are we supposed to laugh or cry?
21 December 2014, 10:16
74
You guys are real amusing, 12 months to deliver weapons? Come on, can't you see that the Saudis are stalling it? They do not want the LAF, to have stronger capabilities in countering the Saudi/french sponsored takfiris.
21 December 2014, 10:45
56
the only ones to be annoyed by the LAF getting stronger are you paid iranian militia...
21 December 2014, 11:27
74
If that was so. How come the Iranians have on several occassions offered to arm the LAF? Only ones holding them back, are the Americans and their Israelis.
Saudis on the other hand, will only arm the LAF if Geagea becomes President. True fact
21 December 2014, 20:19
31
KSA is stalling not necessarily because they want Geagea to become president, but because they're waiting to see who becomes president. In other words, they sure as hell won't give the LAF weapons with Aoun as president and his nephew/son-in-law as commander of the LAF.
21 December 2014, 20:39
31
so you admit they are trying to influence the presidential elections in lebanon with their aid? or should i say bribe?
either they help lebanon unconditionally, or they can keep their oily money. let them take back their takfiris actually and we'll be better off.
21 December 2014, 23:13
21
I'm admitting?? What am I, a Saudi diplomat?? I'm calling it as it is. You think just because my leanings are towards M14 that I agree with everything they do, or I try to cover up their strategy?? I thought you knew me better than that Momo.
This deal was agreed upon a year ago. The fact that these weapons haven't arrived yet means KSA does not want to send weapons to an Aouneh LAF that could share its weapons with Hezbollah.
21 December 2014, 10:51
66
sure, $4billion dollars worth of weapons are just waiting on the shelves of French factories. What a propagandist. The Saudis, the French, and the Americans are bombing ISIL daily and you still claim they are sponsored by them. You are so convincing....
21 December 2014, 11:46
45
I am an expatriate living in Sweden trying to make a decent living. I must admit I was anti HA and anti Iran for the first 28 years of my life. Recently I stumbled upon this forum and started reading mystic's and mowaten's comments. I learned quite a lot from them both and I saw first hand the facts they produce to prove that HA is a true resistance, that Iran loves the Lebanese, and that Bashr Assad is a great leader. Now, I can honestly say I have a new fresh perspective at the way I look at politics. Thanks to both of you for helping me see who our real friends are.
21 December 2014, 11:56
44
and here is how bashar helped the rise of ISIL... LOL! same source as yours...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11051566/How-Assad-helped-the-rise-of-his-foe-Isil.html
21 December 2014, 12:02
44
“Officially they are combating each other but in fact they are very often helping each other." -
bashar and ISIL helping each other... LOL
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/isil-selling-oil-assad-warns-french-fm-485592299#sthash.iDPEvxLO.dpuf
"Jabhat al-Nusra, and the even more extreme Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS), the two al-Qaeda affiliates operating in Syria, have both been financed by selling oil and gas from wells under their control to and through the regime, intelligence sources have told The Daily Telegraph"
http://www.defenceviewpoints.co.uk/articles-and-analysis/al-qaeda-and-the-assad-regime-in-syria
21 December 2014, 12:07
83
Now that is a bit of a contradiction by the telegraph. If they even admit the Saudis support for takfirism, that means it is difficult to keep it a secret. We've heard these western stories, about Assad for quite sometime, now they seem to differ on their rhetoric.
21 December 2014, 11:05
54
4 billion dollars yea right. Where is that 1 billion dollars or the 3 billion dollars promised over a year ago. Stop embarrassing yourself dude.
21 December 2014, 11:20
46
I respect Mr. Mystic, Mr. Flamethrower, and Miss Southern and their vast knowledge on military matters.
21 December 2014, 11:34
84
Saudi Arabia, wants Geagea to become the new "caliph" of Lebanon. If he ever becomes President, the first thing he will announce, is his conversion to Wahabism.
21 December 2014, 12:04
55
sure because it is mustaqbal and geagea who are doing this deal ? LOL
21 December 2014, 13:03
57
10 minutes ago MTV: Members of the Jaafar clan set up a checkpoint between Iaat and Harf Shlifa and assaulted residents from Deir al-Ahmar.
the resistance, its members, and its supporters in a beautiful display of their respect for the LAF and the law. I would like to see how many will be arrested and jailed.
21 December 2014, 13:57
74
hahahaha cessnas...it's funny how they impose which weapons are allowed to be delivered to Lebanon...Only Russia will give us actual weapons that we might be able to use against our enemies.
21 December 2014, 15:34
54
you have surely preferred that the arms went to hizbollah so that the lat remains weak and terrorist hizbollah becomes stronger. by the way the hizbollah has implicitly admitted that they had units planning terrorists attacks in different countries but did not succeed thanks to mossad infiltrating hizbollah. Which makes its clearer than water that your hizbollah is a terrorist organization
21 December 2014, 15:55
43
@somebody Russia will give us nothing sell is the correct verb to use here. The question is where will Lebanon get the money to pay for such weapons? Lebanese can dream and fabricate stories as much as you want,but the fact remain Lebanon is a corrupt and poor country.
21 December 2014, 21:37
02
These are Cessna Planes at their BEST - LOL
http://www.aircraftcompare.com/manufacture-aircraft/Cessna/5
