Lebanon outlines army's needs at international security talks in Paris

The leaders of Lebanon, France and Jordan met in Paris this week as part of efforts to secure international support for Lebanon’s financially strained military.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Egypt, the US, Cyprus, Türkiye, the UK, Italy, Spain and Germany also participated in the talks, as reported on by the Arab News outlet.

Ahead of the talks that took place on September 17, the office of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the leaders would discuss the situation in southern Lebanon and plans for an international presence there after the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, expires at the end of the year.

A donor conference for Lebanon’s cash-strapped army, initially planned for February and led by France, Saudi Arabia and the US, was postponed following the outbreak of the Iran war and the latest escalation in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

No new date for the conference was announced immediately after the current meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Aoun.

A Lebanese Army command source told Arab News that the meeting would be “a preparatory stage to determine the needs of the Lebanese military institution, in addition to mobilising the international support it requires.”

The three leaders discussed ways to deepen coordination in areas of mutual interest and reviewed France’s hosting of a new round of the Aqaba Process focused on supporting the Lebanese military and strengthening its ability to protect the country’s security alongside the Internal Security Forces.

The Aqaba Process was launched by King Abdullah in 2015 to strengthen coordination, cooperation and the exchange of expertise among regional and international partners in combating terrorism and extremism.

The talks also addressed regional escalation, with the leaders stressing the need to intensify international efforts toward comprehensive and sustainable de-escalation to restore stability.

The wider Paris meeting on September 17 focused on Lebanon’s request for international backing to expand the army’s role and extend state authority, including in southern Lebanon where Israeli forces remain on Lebanese territory, while Hezbollah retains its weapons.

According to coverage by L'Orient Today, Aoun also stressed the need to implement the framework agreement reached between Lebanon and Israel in June under US auspices. The agreement calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament, Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese Army.

“Agreements and commitments are not fulfilled by signature alone,” Aoun said, adding that Lebanon “continues to honour” its commitments.

He said the current international and regional mobilisation comes at a time when, “for the first time,” Lebanon’s internal efforts to build a strong state are receiving “an echo and support regionally and internationally.”

“This is an opportunity that may not come again,” Aoun warned, urging Lebanon’s partners to support the government’s efforts.

Aoun stressed that “Lebanon is not asking its partners to assume its responsibilities for it,” but rather to “accompany this process” by supporting the country’s military and security institutions.

Such support, he said, “is an investment that goes beyond Lebanese borders,” as Lebanon’s stability is “indissociable from that of the region.”

The agenda also included concerns over a potential security vacuum following the planned withdrawal of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) starting in January. Reuters reported earlier that options under discussion include an international or EU-led mission outside the UN framework, while international support for the Lebanese army could cover training, equipment, intelligence and mentoring.

By Nazrin Sadigova