France's Macron visits Lebanon amid reconstruction hopes

France's President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Friday on a trip aiming to demonstrate Paris's support for the country's new leadership as it faces the task of ending years of economic turmoil compounded by a recent war.

Macron will meet with his counterpart, Joseph Aoun, who was elected president on January 9 after more than two years during which the top position was unfilled.

The visit aims to "help" Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam "to consolidate Lebanon's sovereignty, ensure its prosperity and maintain its unity," the French presidency said ahead of Macron's arrival.

France has special ties with Lebanon after administering the country for two decades after World War I.  

Aoun (left) was elected president after a two-year vacancy in the positionImage: Hussein Malla/AP Photo/picture alliance

Hopes for peace

Macron is also scheduled to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Beirut as a January 26 deadline approaches to fully implement a ceasefire deal between Lebanon's Iran-backed militia Hezbollah and Israel. 

The deal, brokered by France and the US in November, seeks to end months of conflict that have seen Israeli troops move into southern Lebanon.

Under the deal, the Lebanese army has 60 days to deploy alongside UN peacekeepers in the south of Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws, which it must do by the end of January.

Hezbollah, in its turn, is required to withdraw its forces to positions north of the Litani River, around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and to remove any military infrastructure it still possesses in south Lebanon.

Since the agreement was reached, France, the US, and Saudi Arabia have helped facilitate the election of the new Lebanese president and prime minister amid a political deadlock.

Analysts say that the new elections were made possible partly by the fact that Hezbollah, a major political force in the country, has been weakened by the conflict.

Potential support from Saudi Arabia

Ahead of his visit, Macron also spoke to Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Following the call on Thursday, the French presidency said the two leaders had given "their full support" to forming a "strong government" in Lebanon.

The new government must "bring together Lebanon's diverse people, ensure the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is respected and carry out the reforms necessary for the prosperity, stability and sovereignty of the country," the presidency said.

Saudi-Lebanese relations have been clouded in recent years amid a series of diplomatic incidents, but France has been seeking to regain Riyadh's support for Lebanon in recent months. 

Among other things, French officials have said they are optimistic Saudi Arabia will provide financing and equipment to beef up the Lebanese army amid its new deployment.

Saudi Arabia has long been troubled by the strong presence of Hezbollah in Lebanon, seeing the militia as a proxy of its regional rival, Iran.

tj/rmt (AFP, Reuters)