Cairo talks highlight Lebanese Army ahead of Paris Conference with EU $100 million support

Report by Raneem Bou Khzam, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

With nine days remaining before a support conference for Lebanon scheduled for March 5 in Paris, attention is focused on which countries will provide assistance to the Lebanese Army and security forces and the scale of that support.

In preparation for the conference, Cairo hosted a meeting during which representatives of the Lebanese Army and the Internal Security Forces outlined their needs. 

The session was attended by representatives of the Quintet Committee, four European countries, the Arab League, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the European Union and the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon.

During the meetings, European Union representatives indicated their intention to pledge $100 million in support of the Lebanese Army at the Paris conference. The EU figure was the only specific amount to emerge from the Cairo discussions.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the objective of the initiative is to enable the Lebanese state to establish a monopoly over arms. 

He added that the army’s completion of the first phase within the designated timeframe reflects the institution’s efficiency and calls for intensified support to complete the remaining stages.

Diplomatic sources indicated that continued support is tied to progress in implementing the plan to place all weapons under state authority. Should participating countries conclude that sufficient progress is not being made, the level of assistance may not meet Lebanon’s expectations.