PARIS: The leaders of France, Lebanon and Jordan on Thursday met in Paris to discuss international support for the cash-strapped Lebanese army and the creation of a new force to succeed a longstanding UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and King Abdullah II of Jordan.
They were joined by chiefs of defence staff from Lebanon, Jordan, France, Britain and Italy, as well as top US and Saudi officials, a French military source said.
The talks come as the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) ends this year after almost half a century of operations dating back to the Israeli invasion of 1978.
Last year, the UN Security Council, under US pressure, decided to end UNIFIL's mandate on December 31, 2026.
France and Italy have said they want to set up a multinational coalition to succeed UNIFIL.
Lebanon will be one of key issues on the agenda as world leaders gather for the UN General Assembly in New York next week.
"The aim for the participants is to jointly assess what the Lebanese armed forces need," the French military source said, referring to the Paris talks.
"The goal is to find realistic and effective solutions." - AFP
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