Lebanese circles expressed disappointment over the postponement of the Lebanese Army Support Conference, which was scheduled to be held in Paris on Feb. 27.
They said the decision “contradicts the international community’s desire to strengthen the army’s capabilities to assume its responsibilities, especially with regards to the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701.”
However, sources close to caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati told Asharq Al-Awsat that the postponement was linked to ongoing talks between countries concerned with the conference, pending the “appropriate conditions” that would allow the event to be held.
They stressed that there was no backing down from supporting the army.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Defense Minister Maurice Slim said the Lebanese Army would “remain committed to its national responsibility and its defense and security tasks throughout all Lebanese lands.”
“The Paris conference reflected the extent of international interest in supporting the military establishment in Lebanon,” he said, noting that the army’s weapons and equipment are supplied by “friendly countries.”
The army is always committed to its national role despite its low numbers and weak equipment, he stated.
Slim added that resolution 1701, issued in 2006, stipulates the deployment of 15,000 Lebanese soldiers on the southern border, but the army does not have enough troops to do so.
He underlined the need for the support of “friendly countries interested in stability in the region, and the commitment of all parties to international resolutions.”
The army, in cooperation with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), has been deployed in the South since the end of the July 2006 war.
This cooperation was a factor of stability in the South despite the Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
The minister stressed that the army’s cooperation with the international forces in the South “remains strong and solid and in compliance with international resolutions.”
“The Lebanese state adheres to Security Council resolutions, especially resolution 1701, but violations always come from the Israeli enemy, by land, sea and air,” he underlined.
The minister went on to say: “We told all the foreign officials we met that we urgently have to equip combat soldiers, and that we also need to create new combat units if necessary to increase the number of the troops in the South.”
The postponement or cancellation of the Paris conference was on the agenda of meetings of the Foreign Relations Committee delegation in the US Congress in Beirut last week.
Sources who followed the preparations of the conference said the decision “does not mean abandoning support for the military establishment, but rather allows some space to secure the best conditions for the meeting’s success.”
Former coordinator between the Lebanese government and the UNIFIL, Brigadier General Mounir Shehadeh, said several reasons could be behind the postponement of the Paris conference, including disputes between the United States and France within the Quintet Committee.
