Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri received today at Ain el-Tineh Palace, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné and his accompanying delegation, in the presence of French Ambassador to Lebanon Hervé Magro and Speaker Berri's media advisor Ali Hamdan.
The one-hour meeting touched on developments at the political and field levels in Lebanon and the region, in light of Israel's continued aggression on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
Bilateral relations between Lebanon and France and the term renewal of the UNIFIL peacekeeping forces operating in southern Lebanon were also addressed.
Speaker Berri began the discussion by thanking France and its President Emmanuel Macron for their support and concern for Lebanon, hailing France's historic participation with several international peacekeeping forces.
The Parliament Speaker reiterated "Lebanon's commitment to the rules of engagement and its right to self-defense in the face of Israeli aggression, which did not spare civilians, media personnel, and paramedics in its attacks, not to mention its use of internationally prohibited weapons, especially phosphorous shells in agricultural and forested areas."
In this context, Berri stressed Lebanon's keenness on "extending the mandate of the international peacekeeping forces operating in southern Lebanon for a new term in accordance with the French project and UN Resolution 1701."
For his part, Minister Séjourné said on emerging: "I would like to thank Speaker Nabih Berri for receiving me and the accompanying delegation, and my message is simple, which is to emphasize France's support for Lebanon in these worrying times in the region."
He added: "What matters to us is working to reduce the escalation. This is the message I conveyed to the Lebanese authorities and the same message I will convey to the rest of the countries in the region. We hope that the situation will calm down in these very sensitive times."
The French Minister continued: "France supports the work of the UNIFIL forces. We have worked and are working within the framework of talks to ensure the renewal of UNIFIL's mandate for the next 12 months. This is the work we are currently undertaking in the United Nations."
Séjourné concluded: "Our message is one of support, solidarity and responsibility, and France will continue to support Lebanon in order to achieve peace in the region. What matters to us before anything else is a ceasefire in Gaza, and this is the basic and necessary factor that is indispensable if we want to seek peace in the region."
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