Pietton: Solving Arms Issue via National Dialogue Key to Lebanon, Region Security

French Ambassador to Lebanon on Monday noted that "seeking a solution to the issue of weapons in the framework of national dialogue is vital to the security of Lebanon and the region."

Speaking after the annual time-honored Easter service in Bkirki dedicated to France, Pietton said his country, "according to U.N. Security Council resolutions 1559 and 1701, is offering its full support for the Lebanese State for it to defend and guarantee the country's sovereignty."

"We will never compromise Lebanon's security, which should not remain subject to conflicting regional interests," the French envoy added.

He stressed that "the State is what guarantees Lebanon's sovereignty and President Michel Suleiman represents its authority."

"To guarantee the rise of a state of law which would serve all the Lebanese, the Lebanese Armed Forces, that are alone entitled to defend the country's territories, must monopolize the use of force," Pietton noted.

He also voiced France's full support for the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri, stressing that "only the truth about the political assassinations that targeted Lebanon is capable of achieving reconciliation among all the Lebanese."

"We are convinced of that," the French ambassador added.

On a separate note, Pietton called for a speedy formation of a new Lebanese cabinet that would "confront the urgent economic and social challenges facing the country," adding that France has "relations built on appreciation and trust with Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati."