Paris Quad Summit Addresses Lebanon Tensions Amid Israeli Incitement.
From the Lebanese newspaper “Al-Akhbar”, Paris, the capital of France, is hosting a diplomatic meeting today with the aim of preparing the ground for a conference in support of the Lebanese army, which will probably be held in January next year. The meeting, attended by representatives of France, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Lebanon, is being held at a time when the Zionist occupiers, by continuing their attacks and repeatedly violating the ceasefire in southern Lebanon, are effectively undermining diplomatic efforts and, with the green light of the United States, are pushing the atmosphere in the region towards greater tension.
According to information published by the newspaper “Al-Akhbar”, General “Rodolphe Heikal”, the commander of the Lebanese army, participated in the meeting and is scheduled to hold meetings at the French Ministry of Defense and the Elysee Palace. He will present a comprehensive report on the challenges facing the army in southern Lebanon, especially in confronting the attacks of the Zionist regime and the regime’s refusal to withdraw from five strategic positions under occupation.
Informed sources say that the main focus of the talks at this meeting will be on examining mechanisms to support the Lebanese army in its security duties, implementing the deployment plan in the south, presenting maps related to drawing borders and Lebanon’s role in establishing stability and pressuring the country’s government to disarm Hezbollah; a mechanism that has entered a new phase with the joining of Simon Karam, former Lebanese ambassador to the United States, and Yuri Resnik, foreign policy director of the Israeli Internal Security Council.
Morgan Ortagus, the White House special envoy for Lebanon, and Jean-Yves Le Drian, the special representative of the French president, who are also attending the Paris meeting, will travel to Beirut tomorrow to advance these talks.
Simon Karam met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun yesterday (Wednesday) to make the necessary coordination before forming the committee. Aoun also met with Elias Boussab, the deputy speaker of the country’s parliament, and denied rumors about appointing another ambassador to replace Karam.
Diplomatic sources say that the issue of the Lebanese-Syrian border is also on the agenda of the Paris meeting, which had previously made proposals to help both countries.