Hollande Meets Miqati, Urges Lebanese to Cooperate to Overcome Crisis

French President Francois Hollande said on Wednesday that his country will not meddle in Lebanon's internal politics, urging all politicians to cooperate together to overcome the current crisis.

"We call on the Lebanese people to be aware of the importance of their country's stability and unity,” Hollande said after meeting with Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Miqati in Paris.

Following the assassination of General Wissam al-Hasan on October 19, the March 14 coalition declared that its MPs will be boycotting parliamentary sessions. The Lebanese opposition has also repeatedly demanded Miqati to step down.

Hollande saluted the policy of self-disassociation adopted by the Lebanese cabinet towards Syria's events, announcing that Paris will support Lebanon in bearing the cost of hosting refugees crossing the borders from the neighboring country.

Hollande added that France will also stand by Lebanon in dealing with the consequences Syria's events might have on the country's economy.

“The next few weeks will reveal a French effort to support the Lebanese army,” Hollande declared, explaining that this step stems from his country's belief in the importance of the military institution's role in safeguarding Lebanon's stability.

Since the eruption of the Syrian civil war in March 2011, more than 100,000 refugees have crossed the borders into the Lebanese territories.

Miqati's meeting with Hollande comes after talks he held in Paris with several officials among them the French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and the President of the National Assembly Claude Bartolone.