France will host on Friday a meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
The meeting will be held at the French foreign ministry’s headquarters, with the participation of Germany, China, the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, Russia, the European Union, the Arab League, the UNHCR, the UNDP, the World Bank and the United Nations Special Coordinator in Lebanon.
French diplomatic sources told Asharq al-Awsat that Macron would open the meeting, which would seek to highlight “the unity of the international community in its support for Lebanon.”
Paris, which is co-chairing the conference with Hariri and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, wants to underline the necessity to “support the stability, security and sovereignty of Lebanon” in light of the dangerous situation in the region, according to the French sources.
On the other hand, the sources added that France wanted to send a message to regional and foreign countries on the need to stop interfering in Lebanese internal affairs, in order for the Lebanese to reach an understanding and fortify their country.
The sources went on to say that the principle of dissociation, which was approved at the Baabda Palace in 2013 “is required today more than ever, because stability in Lebanon cannot be achieved unless all parties, especially Hezbollah, fully commit to this principle.”
“What we want is to protect Lebanon from internal and external conflicts, especially as that the balances in the region have been distorted and red lines were firmly drawn,” the sources concluded.
