Salam says reassured by Macron's 'commitment to assisting Lebanon'

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam held talks Thursday in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron after which he thanked France for "its continued support for Lebanon and its security, sovereignty and prosperity."

"I return to Beirut reassured by French President Emmanuel Macron's commitment to assisting Lebanon, renewing UNIFIL's mandate, and strengthening our bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of security, economy, education and culture," Salam added, in a post on the X platform.

This was Salam’s first official visit to Paris since assuming office.

During the meeting, Salam outlined the challenges facing Lebanon, affirming "the government's commitment to continuing its hard work to implement the required reforms, restore local and international confidence, and extend state authority throughout Lebanese territory," his office said.

For his part, the French president praised "the Lebanese government's determination to move forward with the reform process."

He reiterated "France's steadfast support for Lebanon's sovereignty, stability and prosperity, and for the efforts of the Lebanese authorities to revive the economy and reform institutions."

Macron also said that his country "is preparing to organize an international conference to support Lebanon in Paris, in parallel with reaching an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, following the approval of key reform laws, particularly in the banking and judicial sectors."

In this context, the French president informed the Prime Minister that his country "will contribute €75 million to the World Bank's Lebanon Emergency Assistance Project (LEAP), to support the reconstruction of areas affected by the (Israeli) aggression."

The two sides also stressed "the importance of renewing the mandate of UNIFIL and strengthening the ceasefire monitoring mechanism,” while jointly emphasizing the need for “Israel's complete withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the cessation of all violations, and for strengthening the capabilities of the Lebanese Army to enhance its exclusive role in possessing weapons and extending state authority."

In the judicial field, the French side expressed its readiness "to provide technical and financial support for judicial reform, by dispatching an expert to the Lebanese Ministry of Justice and launching cooperation between the French National School of the Judiciary and the Institute for Judicial Studies in Lebanon."

France also reaffirmed its readiness "to support Lebanese-Syrian cooperation to control the common border and provide the necessary technical support for its demarcation, capitalizing on its available historical archives."