With Army aid on the line, Le Drian’s tour pushes Lebanon for concrete security steps

Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Restricting weapons to the authority of the state and a conference to support the Lebanese Army were the two main themes of French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian’s three-day visit to Lebanon.

On Tuesday evening, the penultimate day of his visit, Le Drian attended a dinner with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and his deputy, Tarek Metri, at the Pine Residence.

Lebanese government sources declined to comment on the meeting. However, French sources told LBCI that discussions focused on the issue of limiting weapons to the state and on France’s interest not only in supporting the army but also the security forces, noting that border security is no less important to Paris than internal security.

While the date for the conference in support of the Lebanese Army has not been finalized, French sources confirmed that a preparatory meeting will be held in Paris on December 18 or 19.

The final day of Le Drian’s visit was similar to those before it. The envoy did not make public statements, but the tone of his meetings suggested that the international community expects greater progress from the Lebanese Army.

In the first week of the new year, the army is expected to submit its final report on the first phase of bringing all weapons under state control. 

That report may guide the decisions of countries involved in the support conference, especially as there is growing pressure to showcase the army’s achievements more publicly to both local and international audiences.