Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Jordan’s King Abdullah II are set to join French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris Thursday for talks aimed at strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces and shaping an international security presence in southern Lebanon after the United Nations peacekeeping mission ends.
The meeting will bring together senior military officials from Lebanon, Jordan, France, the UK and other countries, with US participation also expected. The talks are being held under the Aqaba Process, a security initiative launched by King Abdullah in 2015.
The Abu Dhabi-based English-language newspaper The National reported Wednesday that France and Italy are leading work on a possible multinational successor to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), with about 10 European Union countries prepared to contribute training and advisory support. Details of the proposed mission, including its mandate and structure, remain under discussion.
Aoun, who arrived in Paris Wednesday, said the future of UNIFIL would be among the issues he would discuss with Macron, along with Israeli military operations in Lebanon and negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.
“The main thing is that there is no vacuum,” Aoun said in an interview with Agence France-Presse before leaving Beirut. He said any new international force should be temporary and remain until the Lebanese military can deploy fully.
UNIFIL was established in 1978 and expanded following the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. Its mandate is scheduled to end Dec. 31 after the United States and Israel pushed for the mission’s termination. The force currently has more than 7,500 peacekeepers in Lebanon.
France and Italy said in June that they would work toward an international coalition to support Lebanon following UNIFIL’s departure. Paris has also sought increased international assistance for the Lebanese military as Beirut attempts to extend state authority across the country and disarm Hezbollah.
Aoun said Wednesday that Lebanon remains committed to disarming Hezbollah without provoking an internal armed confrontation and wants an eventual security agreement with Israel.
