The Paris conference allocated 1 billion for Lebanon, but only 200 million are guaranteed for the army. French deputy to : “Countries will not give anything if transparency is not guaranteed.” Beirut agrees to deploy 8,000 soldiers south of Litani. Macron’s warning: “Israel knows from experience that military success is not necessarily a victory in the land of cedars.”
Beirut () – “Lebanon is always bigger than itself.” This was highlighted by French President Emmanuel Macron in his opening speech at the international conference organized in Paris in support of the Lebanese people and their sovereignty, on October 24. A political model, the Lebanese one, so peculiar and once again in the spotlight for its peculiarities. To illustrate this, the French Head of State cited the famous formula of Pope John Paul II, expressed in October 1989 in a letter to all the bishops of the Catholic Church, according to which: Lebanon is more than a country, it is a message of freedom and an example of pluralism for both East and West.
The meeting concluded with a billion-dollar package: 800 million in urgent humanitarian aid and 200 million in additional funds for the Lebanese armed forces. In exchange, the Beirut government pledged to deploy 8,000 soldiers south of the Litani River.
On the political level, the conference allowed the French Head of State to reiterate, along with his attachment to Lebanon, the four truths regarding Iran and Israel. “I bitterly regret,” the Elysée tenant stressed, “that Iran has committed Hezbollah against Israel, when it was in Lebanon’s interest to stay out of the Gaza conflict. I regret that Israel continues its military operations in Lebanon and that the number of civilian casualties continues to increase. It remains necessary for Hezbollah to end its attacks against Israel, whatever the pretext. “Israel knows from experience that military success is not necessarily a victory in Lebanon.”
In his speech at the conference, Monsignor Miroslaw Wachowski, Vatican Undersecretary for Relations with States, also recalled why Lebanon deserves to be defended: “The Holy See is convinced that Lebanon is a nation in which the concept of Harmonious coexistence between its different religious communities is an integral aspect of its identity. The Maronite Patriarch Card. Beshara Raï welcomed the fact that the conference had drawn up an ideal “road map” to get out of the crisis, linking as essential elements the ceasefire, the deployment of troops south of the Litani River and the holding of presidential elections.
In terms of aid, the conference exceeded its modest estimates. However, according to a French source, the figure of 1 billion dollars, however impressive, should be considered more realistically, without taking into account the 200 million allocated to the troops. This last amount is discounted and responds to specific needs formulated by the army command: civil peace, at a time of potentially high internal tensions, and the defense of the borders.
The other 800 million should be allocated to obvious and diverse humanitarian aid, such as public health, food, education, assistance and the creation of shelters for hundreds of thousands of displaced people. This last point is especially urgent, since their stay could be prolonged due to the obstacles and destruction caused by the war.
However, according to Joe Moukarzel, French deputy abroad, the results of the conference should not overshadow the role that the country of cedar must play in a perspective of internal recovery. Interviewed by , he points out that it is not at all “certain” that the billion “will arrive in Lebanon.” Some countries,” he explains, “have conditioned aid to the election of a new President of the Republic, others to the proclamation of a ceasefire, but a very important condition is transparency. Donors want to know where the money goes. “We must develop a system of accountability that the Lebanese state is not yet capable of implementing.”
Furthermore, Moukarzel continues, there is “a great lack of trust in the Lebanese State.” The deputy, close to President Macron, suggests the formation of a “ministerial commission chaired by the Minister of the Environment, Nasser Yassine, in cooperation with the United Nations and under the supervision of France”, through which “this transparency” and “all expenses are controlled.” The minister has promised that this will be the case. But he himself is still not sure that this promise can be fulfilled. And without this transparency, the donor countries,” he concludes, “will not give anything.”
Finally, at the Paris conference the question of the presidential vacation in Lebanon was also raised, which lasts until October 31, 2022. In this regard, the Undersecretary for Relations with States wanted to reiterate the Vatican’s position: « It is clear that the voice of the Maronite president of Lebanon is a necessary contribution, which is currently absent. As in the case of any nation, the appointment of a president is not just an option, but a necessity […]. The Holy See therefore considers that this institutional vacuum must be filled as soon as possible. […] and without undue interference. The French deputy concluded by advancing an important reservation to this request: “In the large regional maneuvers underway,” he explained, “Iran will not let the Lebanese card fall.”
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